Finding the Light
by Lady Tsuru27
Summary: Tetsuhiro's in hiding and Isogai knows more than he's letting on, meaning Souichi's going to have one hell of a headache when this is all said and done. Will he follow the rabbit hole into madness, or lose Tetsuhiro forever? AU and MPREG.
1. Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Wish I did. But I don't.**

**Warnings: Yaoi (goes without saying, though!), alternate universe-ish, cursing, minor depiction of sexual acts, and MPREG. You have been warned. If that creeps you out, please DO NOT read this. You can flame me for poor handling of the situation, or bad grammar, or OOC characters, or what have you… However, flames similar to "I don't like MPREG" will be ignored. **

**Pairings: Tetsuhiro x Souichi, Kunihiro x Masaki**

**Summary: Tetsuhiro's in hiding and Isogai knows more than he's letting on, meaning that Souichi's going to have one hell of a headache when this is all said and done. He has a decision to make; follow the rabbit hole into madness, or say goodbye to Tetsuhiro forever. **

**Notes: A spin-off from a short story I wrote a while ago. I don't expect many people to like this (SPOILER ALERT: Souichi's NOT the one that gets pregnant), but I have to write it anyway. It's not that I think Souichi should be "the man" of the relationship. It's just that the thought of HIM getting pregnant completely contradicts everything I think about him. He's not the maternal type. So flame me, bash me, whatever. I just have to put this out there. **

**Also, this picks up where volume 7 leaves off and takes a turn for the weird. I don't normally like to distort canon events, but this time it must be done. Sorry!**

Prologue: Goodbye

That was it. It was all over. So many months of hoping, and now it didn't matter. In one sentence, Souichi had finally achieved what he'd been working for all along. He'd finally driven Tetsuhiro away and crushed any prayer he had of finding happiness with him. The dark-haired man was now sitting on a bench in the park, still reeling from Souichi's accusations and the conversation with Masaki.

It wasn't like Souichi would care if he saw Masaki again. His senpai made it clear that all this time he'd been trying to pull away… and all Tetsuhiro had done was cling to him like a leech. Still, despite it all, he felt like he owed it to Souichi to at least make it clear that he had no interest in Masaki. That was why he'd told Masaki that they would most likely never meet again.

In the cold breeze blowing through the abandoned playground, Tetsuhiro shivered and wondered what he would do now. Perhaps Masaki was right. "You should go home," had been his advice, and Tetsuhiro was beginning to think that perhaps it was the best option. He sat on the bench, contemplating his next move. He couldn't stay here. He had to leave Nagoya; it was too painful to remain when his only tie to this place was his senpai. Of course he would have a bigger chance of running into Masaki if he returned home, but what the hell? If he happened to bump into him, it would be different than seeking him out actively.

"_You can't stay here, you know," _said the little voice inside him. He closed his eyes.

"I know," he said. "I have no other choice but to go home."

"_Go see Senpai once more. Maybe he'll take back what he said?" _

Tetsuhiro laughed bitterly. Like that would ever happen. All he could do now was leave Nagoya. How would he face his family, though? He knew Kunihiro might accept him, but his parents were a different matter. They wouldn't want to see him. He thought that it would be best to avoid them if at all possible.

The moon rose over the city. Park lights began turning off. It was getting late, and much colder. Tetsuhiro didn't notice the tears until their trails nearly froze on his cheeks; he wiped at them furiously. He had made up his mind, and he would go back home. It was highly likely that he would never see this place again… that he would never see his senpai again. The thought constricted around his heart like a python, squeezing until he felt physically pained. No matter how agonizing it was, though, he had to do this.

There was just one more thing to do before he left, though.

He had to see Souichi one last time.

XXXXX

The research student in question was currently pacing the living room, unable to sleep and considering going on a search. Tetsuhiro had been gone for hours. Furiously, Souichi grabbed for his coat, and then threw it back onto the couch. If he went looking for him, Tetsuhiro might take that action out of context. He might think that Souichi actually cared.

"_But don't you care?" _a nagging little voice rose up from the back of his mind. He shook it out of his head. Of course he didn't care; he was just aggravated because he didn't want Tetsuhiro doing anything stupid. As his senpai and roommate, it would mean trouble for him if the kid got into a bind. _"Keep telling yourself that," _the voice said sardonically.

Finally, Souichi couldn't take it anymore. He threw on his coat and was just about to stomp towards the door when it opened. Tetsuhiro walked in, his shoulders slumped and his gaze lowered.

Souichi almost sighed in relief. Instead, he shouted, "Just where the hell were you?!"

"I just… took a walk," Tetsuhiro replied. He wouldn't meet Souichi's eyes. Before Souichi could ask anything else—like where Masaki was—Tetsuhiro had pulled him into an embrace. This was unlike any hug the taller man had ever given him. The arms around his shoulders trembled, and he could feel hot tears on the side of his face.

"What are you doing?!" Souichi tried to shove his kouhai away, but Tetsuhiro held on tightly.

"Please, Senpai," he whispered. "Please, just let me hold you like this. Just hear me out, OK?"

"You'd better spit it out, then!" Souichi didn't like this. Tetsuhiro was acting strangely.

"I… I'm sorry… I never meant to…" More tears flowed as Tetsuhiro began to cry in earnest. "I never meant to… hurt you like that…!"

"Hurt me?"

"All th- this time, you've cared about me… Not a- as a lover, but as a friend. I- I took advantage of that… I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, stop that!" Souichi put his hands on Tetsuhiro's quaking shoulders, though he wasn't sure if he should pull him closer or push him away. The kid was hysterical now.

"Senpai, I… I…!" Tetsuhiro finally looked into Souichi's eyes. The older man didn't like what he saw one bit. There was so much anguish in those eyes, and a strange determination… Before he could completely grasp what his kouhai was thinking, Tetsuhiro suddenly kissed Souichi ferociously, leaving the blonde unable to react.

"_I can't keep this up…" _Tetsuhiro thought. _"If only he loved me, then…"_

"_Take this opportunity," _his inner voice piped up. _"At least bring something back to remember him by." _

"_But this?" _Souichi was struggling now, though not intensely. He seemed utterly confused as Tetsuhiro's tongue slid into his mouth.

"_You need to love someone. Your body is telling you that now is the time, so just do it!"_

"_I- I can't!" _

"_Too late." _

Tetsuhiro pulled away, lowering his eyes to the floor in shame. He took a shuddering breath, calming himself, and then gave Souichi one last pained look. "… Goodbye, Senpai…"

Souichi watched as Tetsuhiro turned and ran once again out the door. He was completely bewildered. That kiss had conveyed a mix of pain and longing, and it had touched him deeply. He didn't have time to think about it, though; he ran after the retreating figure. His own fear was causing his heart to pound long before his body felt any sort of physical exertion. What did he mean by "goodbye"? "Hey!" he called, not caring who he disturbed as he pounded down the stairs after Tetsuhiro. "Get back here! HEY!" It was no use. When he came to the end of the street, panting and sweating despite the cold night air, there was no sign of his kouhai anywhere. A few leaves and a black feather blew past, but Tetsuhiro was gone.

**TBC**

**Well, unless I get nothing but bad reviews, I'm going to continue it. Good or bad, let me know what you think! I've got it all planned out and written up to chapter 6, so I'll update really soon if anyone cares to read more. **


	2. The Return

**Notes: I already got a couple of good reviews, so here's more of the story! Honestly, I was almost expecting to be flamed off the face of the earth by now… I'm glad I wasn't! XD Thank you so much, DororoXPenana, chickadeeyasee, and melbulma79! I hope the story doesn't disappoint! ^_^**

Chapter 1: The Return

Half an hour after leaving Nagoya, Tetsuhiro found himself hesitating in the street outside his brother's house. Kunihiro was definitely home, judging from the glowing windows. He never left the lights on while he was out. The problem was that Tetsuhiro just didn't know what to say. How could he explain that he was now homeless and destitute; furthermore, how could he ever muster up the humility to say that Kunihiro had been right about Souichi?

With a heavy sigh, Tetsuhiro turned and walked down the street. The Celestial sky was beautiful, even when his world was falling apart. The stars sparkled merrily, unheeding of his pain, but it was comforting to him. Even though he felt like he was spiraling into despair, the world kept on going. The stars and swirls of cloud continued in their cosmic rotation. The wind continued to blow, sweet and gentle. His heart continued to beat, though it felt like it was breaking apart with each pulse.

He took in a deep breath. Everything would be OK. There was still hope that his life wouldn't be completely empty. He still had his health, and he knew that soon a spark of life would flare inside of him. It was enough to shore up his courage, and he spun around again and stalked towards Kunihiro's house.

At this hour, not a soul stirred in the street. Kunihiro's house was one of only a few houses showing any sign of occupation. With a trembling hand, he reached up and knocked on the door. Then he waited, nervousness and courage both fighting within him for dominance. After a tense moment, the door opened and Kunihiro stared at him nonchalantly.

"It's about time. Come on in."

Tetsuhiro was taken off guard. He moved past his brother and waited until the door closed and Kunihiro gestured to the living room. Tetsuhiro took a step, but halted when he saw who was sitting on the couch.

"Hello," Masaki said a little sheepishly.

"Um… M- Masaki-san… Hi," Tetsuhiro stammered, unsure of what to do. This meant…

"Masaki told me everything," Kunihiro said, walking past his younger brother to sit in an armchair. "Sit down. I suppose we have some business to discuss."

Tetsuhiro sat down in the chair opposite the couch. Kunihiro sat at an angle, so the three formed a triangle. Kunihiro stared at Tetsuhiro, who kept his eyes lowered to the floor; Masaki stared at Kunihiro. A moment of tense silence dominated the room. Tetsuhiro examined the brownstone tiles on the floor, comparing them to the ivory-and-ebony pattern of the rug. His brother's taste was different from his own, but he still admired it. The furniture was a nice shade of tan, the walls a creamy white. It was a nice look for the room, which had a high ceiling and large, arching windows in the front and back.

"Well, I suppose you need a place to stay," Kunihiro's voice snapped Tetsuhiro back to attention. He lowered his gaze again, blushing under his brother's burning scrutiny. Glancing up again, he caught Masaki's eyes. The blonde gave him a gentle smile, though Tetsuhiro wasn't sure if it reassured him or not. He looked up again in surprise, though, when Kunihiro said, "I have a guest room. You can stay there."

"Um… Thank you…" Tetsuhiro said. "I'll do what I can to get a new place soon, so you won't have to… put up with me for long." He attempted a laugh, but it came out stale. He shifted on the firm cushion, biting his lip nervously.

"You can stay as long as you need to," Kunihiro said. He seemed a little stiff, and Tetsuhiro realized that he was trying to be as nice as he could. He wasn't very good at it, but at least he was trying.

"Thank you," Tetsuhiro managed a small smile. "I still want to find my own place, because…" Here he hesitated. Kunihiro raised an eyebrow, and Masaki cocked his head a little. Could he really tell them? It would be foolish not to. They had to know; there was no way he could keep it a secret for long.

Clearing his throat, he looked up at his brother and former lover. "I'm…"

VVVVV

As Tetsuhiro was reuniting with his brother, Souichi was running up and down the streets frantically. How could Tetsuhiro have disappeared so quickly? He wasn't that fast a runner. Souichi had overtaken him many times before, and this time he'd been running at full force. Yet there was no denying that his kouhai was gone, almost vanished into thin air.

The sky was growing light by the time exhaustion finally claimed him. He schlepped back to the apartment, shoulders slumped and legs feeling like lead. He barely managed to get into bed, not even bothering to kick off his shoes. His mind a whirlwind of emotions, all blurry and incomprehensible to him in his current state, he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

Souichi didn't wake up until that afternoon. "Ugh…" his mind was still fogged as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He couldn't remember why he was still clothed and why his shoes were still on. Reaching for his glasses, he realized that they were skewed on his head. Hazily, he tried to remember what he'd been doing. He couldn't even recall going to bed.

"_You drove Morinaga away," _the little voice in his head said.

"_Huh?"_

"_Don't you remember telling him all that? He disappeared. He's gone. You were out looking for him when…"_

"Shit!" he bolted out of bed. The previous night's events replayed in his mind; Masaki, being pissed at Tetsuhiro, Masaki again, Tetsuhiro coming back, the kiss, running after him, looking for him until he collapsed… "Dammit, Morinaga!" he shouted. Tearing through his bedroom doorway, he burst into Tetsuhiro's room. It was empty, the bed still made. "**Shit!**" he cursed again, and grabbed his backpack.

The bus ride to school was torture. His body practically vibrated with pent-up energy. Were his life a cartoon, he knew that he'd have steam coming out of his ears. Finally, **finally **the bus stopped at Nagoya University, and he jumped out of the vehicle and took off across the school lawn.

His rush was unnecessary; the laboratory was empty.

Panting, shaking with exhaustion, Souichi leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. His worst fears seemed to be confirmed, though he tried not to think about it. _"There was a bridge close to where you lost him," _the nagging voice said. _"He probably jumped."_

"No… He wouldn't do something that stupid…" he muttered aloud.

"_You know how irrational he is. Or was."_

"No!" Souichi forced his protesting body back into a standing position. Furiously, he began getting out supplies in preparation for the day's work. "That idiot's probably sleeping under that bridge!" he said. "Let him! He can do what he wants! He'll come back; he always does, the spineless coward!"

"_Yeah. Right." _

"Shut up!" he screamed, clutching at his hair and scaring away the two students who had just come into the room. "That bridge wasn't exactly a deadly fall! It's over a ditch, for cryin' out loud! If he did jump he's probably stuck in the mud, and I say he can stay there until he learns his lesson!"

The mental image of Tetsuhiro stuck waist-deep in mud was sufficient to lift his mood a little. He reassured himself with the thought that his kouhai had done this before. He would come back, like last time. He probably just went to stay with a friend. Thus consoled, Souichi was able to continue his work with little distraction, though he gave a start whenever anyone entered the room.

Each time, his heart sank a little more when he realized that it wasn't Tetsuhiro.

VVVVV

That evening, despite his aching limbs, Souichi decided to walk all the way home from the university. It wasn't a terrible distance, but his legs protested sharply. He walked slowly, partly out of necessity and partly so he could scan the area for any sign of a messy mop of black hair. He passed several young men who had similar hair styles and even a few who were just as tall as his kouhai, but none of them was Tetsuhiro.

"Dammit, Morinaga, where are you?" he mumbled under his breath. His steps sped up as he approached their neighborhood. Soon he came to the intersection where Tetsuhiro had disappeared; here he stopped. The bridge loomed just a few yards away. Taking a hard swallow to clear his suddenly clenched throat, Souichi walked towards the structure.

It was just a short overpass, after all. The muddy concrete below wasn't too far from the top of the bridge. There was no way someone could die from jumping off of the walkway, but still Souichi walked around the guardrail and leaned over to take a look underneath. If the moron really had jumped, perhaps in a moment of frenzied desperation, he might have sprained an ankle or even broken a leg if he'd landed just right. To Souichi's relief, there were no marks in the mud. No signs that anyone had fallen in, voluntarily or otherwise.

The blonde pulled himself back over the guardrail and started towards home. He walked apprehensively, finally stopping when he reached their apartment building. He knew that the windows would be dark, but he hesitated to look. A part of him was still hoping that Tetsuhiro was there. He climbed the stairs slowly, then pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Nothing happened.

The apartment was dark, as he'd halfway expected. Nobody waited for him. Nobody called to him in welcome. He dropped his backpack and kicked off his shoes. Though his stomach growled, he slumped onto the couch without even looking towards the kitchen. In the silence of the empty apartment, he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. It was more erratic than he'd thought. Had he really expected Tetsuhiro to be there?

"_He's gone for good," _his inner voice said viciously. _"You finally did it. Now you can be alone, like you always wanted, right?" _

The thought chilled him. Reaching for a pad of paper on the coffee table, he pulled the pen from his pocked and scribbled a note. Then he packed up some clothes and his laptop, and left for Matsuda's.

**TBC**

**Sorry the chapters are so short! I'm pretty bad about writing too-short chapters… ^^;**


	3. Isogai Steps in

Chapter 3: Isogai Steps In

Morning sunlight touched Tetsuhiro's face, coaxing his eyes open. He blinked, sat up, and looked groggily around him. Strange smells and sights surrounded him, but he realized that he was in Kunihiro's guest room as the fog dissipated from his mind. The bed was comfortable, surprisingly; Kunihiro had always preferred a firm mattress. The sheets were soft and crisp white to match the curtains. _"For a straight man, he's always had good decorating sense," _the young man thought, stretching and rubbing his tired eyes.

He had been crying for most of the night. The emotional strain of Souichi's rejection, coupled with the rush of feelings that he'd experienced when he'd had to come begging at Kunihiro's doorstep, had exhausted his spirit. The pillows still held evidence of his tears, and Tetsuhiro flipped them over to hide the drying stains.

For the first time in months, he spread his wings and allowed them to stretch. It felt exquisite. The ebony feathers ruffled as his wings flapped slightly, growing to their full size before he shrank them again and folded them against his back. It didn't take a great deal of effort to keep them hidden completely, but they ached from disuse. He raised his arms above his head, flexing his shoulders.

"Good morning," a voice turned his attention to the doorway. Masaki was standing there, looking a little sheepish.

"Oh, Masaki-san…" Tetsuhiro lowered his arms. "You're here early."

"Actually, I stayed the night…" Masaki blushed a little.

"I- I see…"

"It's nothing like that," Masaki said hurriedly. "I just wanted to make sure you were going to be OK. I heard you crying last night when you went to bed, so…"

"Ah. Well, I just…"

"I know. It's a lot to take in."

"Yeah…" Tetsuhiro sighed and sat down on the bed.

"I spoke with Kunihiro after you came up here. I told him he shouldn't have been so harsh on you."

"He's right, though," Tetsuhiro picked at his sleeve, balling up green lint between his fingers. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were upset. People make mistakes when they're upset… Even us."

"Yeah, try telling him that," Tetsuhiro laughed humorlessly. "The thought that angels can be as flawed as humans…"

"He knows it. He just doesn't want to acknowledge it."

Tetsuhiro wanted to change the subject. "Masaki-san, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Are you still in love with my brother? I know you said you weren't really, but…"

"I still don't know," Masaki said simply. He moved to sit next to Tetsuhiro, and put his arm around the younger man's shoulders. His golden wings spread out and tucked Tetsuhiro into a soft embrace. "Tetsuhiro, I know that we'll still be a little awkward around each other, but… Right now, may I just comfort you?"

Tetsuhiro gladly leaned on the offered shoulder. He wasn't ever one to turn down an offer of platonic affection.

VVVVV

Souichi sighed when he entered the apartment. Still empty. He'd wanted to wait until after school to check, but he'd been drawn to the place anyway. His lunch break was long enough to allow him this detour, and he made a sandwich in the kitchen—their kitchen—while he contemplated what to do.

He'd thought that Tetsuhiro would have come back by now, for sure. Yet the place was still empty. Tetsuhiro's bed was still neatly made, his shoes were still gone, and his cell phone was still on the coffee table where he'd left it…

Souichi's hand stilled over the bag of bread. Tetsuhiro's cell phone… It had his contacts programmed into it. Perhaps he was staying with one of those contacts.

Forgetting about his lunch, Souichi rushed to grab the phone and called the first number on the address list. "Hello, is this Akira? Morinaga's friend, right?"

Tetsuhiro had many more friends than Souichi had known. Some of them were from Fukuoka, as he found out, but many of the names were ones he recognized from school.

"Is Morinaga there?"

"You haven't seen Morinaga by any chance, have you?"

"If you see Morinaga, tell him that his senpai wants to talk to him."

"Tell that scum-sucking little coward that I'm coming after him no matter what!" Each call made Souichi more and more frantic. Nobody had seen him at all. When he got to "Hiroto", he was beginning to consider dialing Tetsuhiro's parents' number.

"What is it, Angel-kun?" a sing-song voice answered on the third ring.

"Angel-kun?"

"Er… Tetsuhiro-kun? Is that you?"

"No, this is Tatsumi. His senpai."

"Oh! Well, hello there!"

Souichi didn't like this melodic voice one bit. "You just answered my question. I guess you haven't seen him at all lately?"

"Hmm… Well, he came in here a few days ago, but since then I haven't seen him."

"C- came in… where?"

"My place."

"WHAT?!" Souichi's shout nearly reamed Hiroto's ears.

"Ow!" the redhead complained. "What gives?"

"He was at your place? Just who the hell **are you**! Why do you call him Angel, huh? That's an awfully weird name for a friend!" Souichi was furious now. This guy sounded like a fruit if he had ever heard one. Could it be that Tetsuhiro was seeing someone else?

"_Wait… someone else? What am I thinking? He's not even seeing ME!"_

"_Jealous?" _Souichi growled when his inner voice laughed smugly.

"Look, I don't know what you think about us, but we're not dating or anything like that," Hiroto was saying. "I tend the bar at Adamsite. He comes in a lot, and we used to work together. Angel-kun is just a nickname."

Even as Hiroto was explaining, Souichi was beginning to feel embarrassed. He hadn't meant to snap like that, though this Hiroto person didn't sound surprised at all. Souichi hung up as soon as he could without seeming too rude. He let out a long breath and leaned back against the couch. There were only four contacts left—his own, Tetsuhiro's parents, Kunihiro, and Masaki.

"_Is he with Masaki now?" _That thought stung. A lot.

"_You'll never know until you call," _the voice said.

Grudgingly, he called Masaki's number. The phone rang, but nobody answered. Souichi growled and threw the cell phone across the room angrily. _"I guess he's busy. Maybe 'tied up'. Maybe by Mori-"_

"Shut up," Souichi said aloud to that annoying little voice.

As tired as he was, Souichi fell into a light doze on the couch while contemplating his next move. He dreamed that Tetsuhiro came back, looking apologetic and begging for another chance. He beat the crap out of him. It was satisfying. He was just beginning to enjoy himself when the police showed up, pounding on the door.

He started, nearly leaping into a sitting position. There really was someone knocking on the door. His heart skipped a beat; maybe it was Tetsuhiro. He jumped up and almost tore the door off its hinges in opening it, but the person standing there was probably the last person he would have expected to see. "I- Isogai?!" He stared, his mouth hanging open slightly, at the smiling face in front of him.

"Hey, how's it going?" Isogai asked cheerfully. He let himself in, kicked off his shoes casually, and flopped down onto the couch. "Ah, still as cozy as ever!" he said, looking around. "Though it seems kinda empty. Mori-kun hasn't come back yet?"

"Huh?" Souichi still stood in front of the open door. Isogai shook his head.

"Now, Sou-kun, you should shut the door. It's a little chilly outside!"

Souichi did so, and then went to sit on the shorter sofa. "What are you doing here?" He couldn't believe Isogai was really in his living room. He had appeared like some evil fairy, blown in by a malevolent wind.

"Well, I heard you and your little kouhai were having some problems," Isogai said. "I'm here to help."

"How did you hear about that?"

"Kanako called me. She's really worried about you, you know!"

"_I'm gonna kill that little brat!" _Souichi thought furiously. Aloud, he said, "I should report you to the police, giving your number to a fourteen-year-old girl like that!"

"Now, Souichi, don't worry about it! We became good friends last time I visited. But what's important now is that I can help you! Kanako told me that Mori's disappeared."

"… Yeah. I haven't seen him for almost two days…" Souichi gripped the couch arm tightly. Why did it hurt so much to think about it?

"Where do you think he is?"

"How should I know?"

"I think I know."

Souichi eyed the smug man suspiciously. "How could you possibly know that? It's not like you know him that well."

Isogai just smiled at him. "I have ways of finding out. In fact, I've already checked. I know where he went, and probably where he's staying now."

"Well, then let's go!" Souichi was up and pulling his coat on already. "I wanna see that spineless little-"

"Whoa, wait a minute," Isogai held up his hands. "I can take you to him, but first I have to know… Do you love him?"

The question floored Souichi. He glared at Isogai. "What?"

"Do you love him? I have to know."

"Why? Does it really matter?"

"Well… yeah. The place he's staying now… I can't take you there unless you're sure you want to stay with him. If I take you there, you might regret it."

Souichi felt dread seeping up his spine. "Why?"

"Because once you know, there's no going back."

The researcher took a moment to consider the pros and cons. He didn't know the cons, but they were apparently pretty bad. As for the pros… He didn't know if he loved Tetsuhiro or not. All he knew was that he wanted him back. "Fine," he said at last, "take me to him."

Isogai grinned. "Let's go."

**TBC**


	4. The In-Between

**Notes: Thanks for reading thus far! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and just so you know, the pregnancy thing isn't the only conflict in this story. There's a LOT more to it than that... **

Chapter 4: The In-Between

It took Souichi a moment to realize that he and Isogai were no longer in his apartment. In fact, he didn't know if they were even in Japan anymore. Before he could process what was happening, Isogai had grabbed him and he'd been blinded by a flash of white light. They were now standing on a platform of some kind, similar to a subway station. A long stretch of white concrete or marble or… some kind of stone-like substance extended on either side of them. Walking to and fro all around them were people unlike any he'd ever seen before; and Isogai was standing there with a new set of bat-like wings and a pair of short, pointed horns protruding from his head.

The scene went fuzzy for a moment, and when Souichi came to again he was sitting on a stone bench facing a long row of mirrors. Isogai was sitting next to him.

"I thought you might faint," he said sheepishly. "Welcome to the In-Between."

"The In-Between?" Souichi looked around at all of the mirrors… and the people. They were bizarre, to say the least. Some appeared almost normal except for the feathered wings on their backs. Some had membranous wings and horns, like Isogai. There were a few who weren't human at all, but more animal-like in appearance than anything. Some were floating, almost invisible. There were some that were merely streaks of light when they moved, taking form only when they stopped in front of one of the huge mirrors.

As he watched, these mirrors changed multiple times. Each one reflected a different scene as a being approached it; when they went through, it became reflective once more. He saw a stretch of purple sky and black grass turn back into him and Isogai sitting on the bench as a cloaked figure emerged from the liquid-like surface. Another mirror showed a rippling ocean scene. Another looked like a modern city when one of the feathered people approached it.

"You can probably guess that this is a crossroads of sorts," Isogai said. "This place is between all worlds. Over there is where I come from," he pointed to a large red doorway, separate from the mirrors, that was covered with black iron bars. "That's Demic, the land of demons. I'm a demon, by the way."

"Y- yeah…" Souichi didn't know what to say. Isogai was plowing through the explanation as if it was hardly a big deal. This was too much.

"You said you could handle it," Isogai said jovially.

"I- I can, it's just…"

"That's OK. Take a minute to let it sink in."

"So… what does this mean? Where's Morinaga?"

"He's there," Isogai pointed to the door next to the red one. This one was blue, and the bars over it were white.

"What's there?"

"Celest, the land of angels. He's there."

"Is that like Heaven?"

"Not quite. Heaven and Hell are for mortal souls. Demic and Celest are for demons and 'angels', though angels are really just feathery demons if you ask me…"

Souichi was quiet for a while. Finally, he said, "So Morinaga is in Celest."

"Yep."

"And angels live there?"

"Yep."

"Then… then…"

"Morinaga-kun is an angel."

"Ah…"

Again, Souichi fell silent. Angels, demons, and creatures milled past. Isogai twiddled his thumbs, tapped his knees, and whistled a few tunes. Slowly, the implications sank in. Slowly, Souichi came to terms with what he'd been told. Isogai waited patiently for a while. Then he said, "So?"

Souichi didn't know what to think. Strangely enough, he felt like he'd been here before. _"I know this place… but how?" _

"Feels familiar to you, huh?" Isogai startled Souichi with his question. He grinned. "Every mortal passes through here on their way to and from Earth. Your soul knows it's been here before, even if your brain doesn't remember."

The human nodded. "I'm probably dead," he said. He still felt like he was in a daze. "I probably kicked the bucket, but right now I don't care. I just want to find Morinaga."

"That's the spirit!" Isogai clapped Souichi on the back. "Let's go, then!"

Souichi blindly trudged forward, guided by Isogai's hand on his shoulder. Without even noticing, he was ushered through the blue door as the white bars rose up. His head was swimming with confusion, but through it all a single purpose was driving him:

Find Tetsuhiro…

And stomp his face in.

XXXXX

The object of Souichi's ire was currently sitting on the balcony overlooking Celest. He watched angels and spirits maneuvering around the pearly blue buildings with their golden window casings and doorways. White marble walkways gleamed in the sunlight. It was beautiful, but Tetsuhiro still missed the comparably grungy streets of Nagoya. Angels tended to be stuck-up, in his opinion, and at the moment he was wishing with all his being that he hadn't been forced to come back.

He didn't look up when he heard the glass door open. He knew it was Kunihiro, and he didn't feel like another chewing-out. He was grateful to be given a place to live, but in his opinion the sooner he could get out the better.

"Tetsuhiro," Kunihiro said in greeting, stiffly. Tetsuhiro didn't answer. He focused on a group of children walking down the street. Kunihiro sat down on the lower ledge next to his brother, letting his tawny wings spread out in the breeze. "Nice weather today," he said.

"Yeah…"

Kunihiro sighed. "Listen, Tetsuhiro… What I said last night…"

"Hm?"

"I was just a little… upset. Who wouldn't be?"

"Sorry…"

"I don't want you to be sorry, I just… Look, you did something immensely stupid. And with a… a **human**…" he almost spat the word out. Despite his better judgment, Tetsuhiro felt his feathers ruffle. His first instinct was still to protect Souichi, and humans in general. "I know you just adore them," Kunihiro said resolutely, "but I hope that you realize what a mistake you've made."

"I guess."

"That Tatami fellow-"

"Tatsumi."

"Whatever. He's history. And don't you try to reconnect with him. You might have had a chance, but now that you're…" he looked around hurriedly, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "_expecting_, you can't very well go back to him."

"You don't have to say it like that…"

"But it's a human's offspring!"

"Does it matter?" Tetsuhiro put his arms around his abdomen, finally looking up to glare at Kunihiro. "So what if he's half human?"

Kunihiro pinched the bridge of his nose, adjusting his glasses. "Fine, fine. But regardless of what you think of it, it's not likely to be easily accepted here. You'd best hope it's born with wings and you can pass it off as normal."

Tetsuhiro didn't say anything. Whether Kunihiro was prejudiced or not, he was right. Celestians were not the most accepting bunch. Angels saw themselves as superior to humans, demons, and all other beings. To sleep with a human was seen as just above bestiality. To bear a human's child, though…

The raven-haired angel sighed and drew his knees up to his chin. No matter what, he still missed Souichi.

"Let's go inside," Kunihiro said. "You should probably get something to eat."

"Yeah… OK." Tetsuhiro stood and followed Kunihiro inside. Thinking about the little spark inside of him dulled the pain in his heart a bit. At least he now had something to look forward to.

**TBC**


	5. Isogai, Where Do Babies Come From?

**Notes: Another chapter out! Thanks for reading this far! :D In this episode of Souichi Tatsumi and the Bad MPREG Fan Fiction, we find out how Tetsu got preggers in the first place. Let your curiosity be satisfied! **

Chapter 5: Isogai, Where Do Babies Come From?

Souichi was finding that navigating around Celest wasn't as difficult as it seemed at first. No two buildings looked the same. Some were similar to Byzantine architecture, some looked Oriental, some Mediterranean. Many of the structures were unlike any Souichi had ever seen, with swirling rooftops and rounded walls. There were several buildings that looked like small models of the Taj Mahal (one of them, Isogai pointed out, was actually the post office).

The clothing styles worn by the angels were different, as well. The most popular fashion seemed to be toga-like garments in various bright colors. Some angels were wearing modern clothes in western style—jeans, T-shirts, and even sunglasses. Others wore clothing that could only be described as "exotic". A group of dark-skinned angels passed by wearing swimming trunks and bikinis, and Souichi even saw a young woman angel wearing a kimono.

"These angels…" Souichi said, "Why are they so… human-like?"

"Oh, they just like to copy human styles," Isogai explained as the two turned a corner onto a busy thoroughfare. "Angels and demons deal pretty closely with humans on a daily basis. We tend to adapt what we see on Earth into our own cultures.

"So all the stories, the religious testaments, the so-called 'miracles'…"

"All true," Isogai said. "Well, most of them, anyway. We've been coming and going among mortals for… Heh, for as long as there have been mortals!"

"What do you do around them?" Souichi asked. Despite his confusion and shock at all that had happened so far, he was still curious. After all, he was a man of science. If ever there were an opportunity to unravel the mysteries of the universe, this was it. Had he been less personally involved at the moment, he would be taking notes.

"Angels pretty much guide humans. They think they fulfill the gods' wishes by helping humans and persuading them to do 'good'."

"Don't they?"

"That's a matter of opinion," Isogai grinned devilishly. "Some angels like to meddle in places that they shouldn't. Like, some will try to persuade humans to do crazy things in the name of 'goodness'. Those nut jobs are usually rounded up and banished, but they're still out there. Even angels can be insane."

"So what about you demons?"

"We just kinda hang out. We're not as fanatical as angels about 'good' and 'bad', though some demons like to stir up trouble."

"I should have known… About you, I mean," Souichi grumbled. When he thought about it, he wasn't really all that surprised that Isogai would be a demon.

"You may be more demonic than me!" Isogai laughed.

Souichi barely heard him; they had turned a corner into a very busy road. The street was noisy and crowded with angels, but he and Isogai found a wide path to walk through. The angels seemed to want to stay away from them. Many looked at them with open dislike, but most just avoided looking at them altogether. "What's with their attitudes?" Souichi asked.

"Angels can be real pricks. Oh, I forgot—if anyone asks, you're a demon in disguise."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's kinda illegal to bring a human here. They can't tell the difference just from looking, though. Just don't let anyone know where you're from."

"Uh… OK."

Souichi was getting caught up in his surroundings again. All sorts of strange smells assaulted his nostrils. Baking cakes, incense, freshly tanned leather, spices, fragrant flowers, and a hundred different perfumes melded together into a unique olfactory experience. The cacophony of voices echoed off of marble and stone. In fact, Souichi noted that everything was made of stone. There was very little wood being used anywhere.

The angels they passed were all as unique as their clothes. When they rounded another corner, Souichi saw a strange sight. Two women were walking together, holding hands. One of them was obviously pregnant.

Isogai noticed Souichi watching the couple. "Cute, aren't they?" he asked once the angels were out of earshot.

"So there are homos in Heaven, too?"

"I told you, it's not Heaven. And yes."

"But one of them was pregnant…"

"Yeah. The other one was probably the 'father'."

"Ah. Wait…" Souichi stopped walking. The gears in his brain were turning at an almost impossible speed.

"You heard right," Isogai said. "That's another thing about angels—they're really prolific. Chicks can get other girls pregnant and guys can get pregnant, too… They're all kinds of messed up."

"Did you say that **guys **can get pregnant?"

"Sure. See, legend has it that angels used to be sexless. They reproduced by kissing, of all things!" Isogai laughed, earning nervous glances from an elderly angel man passing them. "One of them would have the kid, and that was that. Then, when humans came around, the angels started to change. Now they look similar… though some believe that angels evolved from humans, or the other way around… Er, you'd have to ask a biologist or something. All I know is that even though angels changed, their reproductive methods didn't."

The human shuddered and crossed his arms over his chest. Men getting pregnant… He was now hoping that he was in a coma and this was some kind of dream.

Soon the scenery changed to smaller buildings that were farther apart. The two passed fewer people as they went along. This neighborhood was more modern-looking than some of the other houses they'd passed; these houses were all white plaster and painted brick. As they walked up a tidily-kept street, Souichi asked, "So how do you know Morinaga's here?"

"I heard from a friend of mine. When Kanako told me Mori-kun was missing, I figured he'd be here, so I poked around and found out he'd been seen here. I think his brother lives up this street."

"So you've known he was an angel the whole time?"

"Oh, yeah! We demons are pretty perceptive. Mori-kun has no idea I'm a demon, though. Well, I don't think he does…" Isogai put his hands in his pockets as he walked. "I can tell he doesn't like me much, but it's probably mostly because of the incident from back then…"

"Huh… So you think he's right here on this street?"

"Probably. Let's see…" Isogai pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and examined it. Scanning each house that they passed, he finally stopped at a white house with black trim. "Here it is—Kunihiro Morinaga's house."

"This is where his brother lives?"

"Mm-hm. Now, let me do the talking at first. You'd probably just punch your poor underclassman before he could even get a word out!"

"Damn right about that," Souichi grumbled. Though he was angry, his heart was pounding for another reason. He was actually a little nervous.

Isogai pulled on a black cord hanging from the porch ceiling, and a chime could be heard beyond the door. Kunihiro appeared after a few seconds. Souichi almost did a double-take. The last time he'd seen Kunihiro, he hadn't had those brown-feathered wings sticking out of his back. "Who are you and what do you want?" he asked, looking at Isogai with disdain.

"Good afternoon!" Isogai said congenially. "Are you Kunihiro Mo-"

"Where's Morinaga?" Souichi pushed past Isogai, shoving the demon out of the way.

Kunihiro's eyes widened as Souichi stared him down. Then the angel's expression hardened, his jaw tightened, and Souichi found himself glaring at a slammed door. "Hey!" Souichi exclaimed, reaching up to pound on the black wood. "Let me in! Open the damned door, you bastard! I need to talk to your brother! NOW!"

"Well, I tried to warn you," Isogai sighed. "You just can't control yourself, can you?"

"The fuck…" Souichi grumbled. Isogai backed away from him a few steps. The human was starting to laugh bitterly. "I'm taken from my home, shoved into this weird place, paraded around among a bunch of freaks, and now I've had an angel slam a door in my face. THE HELL I'm going anywhere until I see Morinaga!"

"Souichi-kun, maybe you should calm down a bit…"

"I'm camping here!" Souichi sat right down on the marble porch. "He'll have to open this door sometime!"

"Souichi, if he calls the police you're screwed."

"Angels have cops?"

"Of course they do. Now, you wanna find out the hard way? Or do you want to go and rethink our strategy?"

Souichi relented only after some serious thought. He stood up and gave the door one last glare before following Isogai down the walkway.

XXXXX

"Who was at the door?" Tetsuhiro asked when his brother came storming into the room.

"Er… Someone selling kitchenware. You know how I hate salespeople."

"Ah, I see!" Tetsuhiro smiled a little. Kunihiro quickly disappeared into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. There was no way he was going to tell Tetsuhiro that Souichi was here. In fact, he would be better off notifying the authorities. The blonde demon had probably been the one to bring that psycho into Celest in the first place. Generally speaking, Kunihiro didn't like demons. He distrusted them almost as much as he distrusted humans, and a demon that brought humans into their realm was the worst.

After a moment, Kunihiro discretely peeked out the window. There was no sign of demon or human. He sighed in relief, and returned to the living room. Tetsuhiro was reading a book. "You really need to get some clothes soon," Kunihiro said. He'd given Tetsuhiro some clean clothes to wear that morning, but the pants were too short and the shirt was just a little too big.

"I could go back to get my stuff. You know, in Nagoya…"

"Do you really think that would be a good idea?"

"Well, if I knew that Senp- _he _wasn't going to be there…"

"That worked out well last time, didn't it?"

Tetsuhiro stuck out his tongue. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were being sarcastic."

Kunihiro's mouth quirked into a sort of half smile. "We'll just buy you some clothes. Celestial clothes are made better, anyway."

"Nii-san, I can just go get the clothes I already have."

"Ugh. You've spent too much time on Earth… Don't call me 'nii-san', OK?"

"Sorry, Kunihiro."

"And anyway, if you go back you'll just be tempted to stay again. You can't this time, remember?"

"I know…" Tetsuhiro curled up on the couch and hugged his knees to his chest while Kunihiro made plans to take him shopping. He felt like crying again, but he pushed the urge aside. It would make Kunihiro uncomfortable, and the last thing Tetsuhiro wanted was to endure his brother's attempts to cheer him up.

As Tetsuhiro tried to focus on happier things, Kunihiro was getting out his scrying pool. This was a bowl of sorts, similar to the hollow in a sink, though it had no drain and its outside surface was contoured to the inside. He took the basin upstairs, dusting off its bronze rim. He put it on the desk in his bedroom, dumped water into it from his glass on the nightstand, and waited for the surface to stop sloshing. "Southwest Celestial Security," he said clearly to the water. The surface rippled, and then a woman's face appeared.

"What's the trouble, citizen?" she asked.

Kunihiro nudged his bedroom door closed with his foot, just to make sure Tetsuhiro couldn't hear. Then he said, "I'd like to report a human trespasser."

**TBC**


	6. Going Undercover

**Notes: Two more chapters, coming up! I know it seems like it's building to the climax, but there's still a LONG way to go before the conclusion. Remember, every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. The same goes for reviews! XD**

Chapter 6: Going Undercover

"We've got a problem," Isogai said. He and Souichi had walked down the street from Kunihiro's house and gone into a café. They were now drinking some kind of coffee-like beverage that was a little too sweet and didn't have enough alcoholic content to suit Souichi's taste. At the moment, he felt he needed something a little stronger than whatever it was they were drinking.

Souichi glared at a giggling young couple in the corner. "I'll say. These angels are getting on my nerves. They're all so lovey-dovey."

"Bigger than that," Isogai said seriously. "I've seen some guards poking around. They're not usually out unless they're looking for someone in particular. Odds are they're looking for us."

"For us?" Souichi nearly choked on his drink.

"Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about it. As soon as I saw that Morinaga guy, I figured he was one of those straight-as-an-arrow types who would rat us out. If I'd been able to talk to him, he probably wouldn't have called…" He gave Souichi a baleful look. "Of course, someone could have seen us walking around and called."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to Demic. We've gotta get you a disguise."

Souichi stared down at the orange drink in his hand. A part of him wanted to just forget all of this and go home. _"But you would never see Morinaga again," _his inner voice said.

"_So what? If he wants to run off and live with these fairies, he can. I don't care… "_

"_You do care. You know you can't just let him go like that." _

"_I can if I want to!" _

"_But you don't want to. You miss him, don't you?" _

"Sou-kun, you have two options here," Isogai said, derailing Souichi's train of thought. "You can either go to Demic with me, get dolled up-"

"Dolled up?!"

"-and go talk to Morinaga-kun, or… you can go home."

"Let's go to Demic," Souichi said without hesitation, surprising even himself.

Isogai smiled, genuinely. "You really must care about him," he said. "That's sweet. All right, let's go get you outfitted!"

Souichi didn't even want to ask what Isogai meant. They left the café—Isogai paid the tab with what appeared to be glowing green marbles—and took off down a back alley. Evening was wearing on, and the two stayed in the shadows easily. Once they were out of sight of other people, Isogai grabbed Souichi's wrist. "Hold on!" was the only warning he gave before he pulled them through a ring of light that appeared suddenly in front of them.

The next time Souichi blinked, he was back in The In-Between. "That was fast," he said.

"We can leave a world from any point, any time we want to," Isogai said. "Getting in requires a portal, though."

"Huh." That explained how Tetsuhiro had disappeared so suddenly the other night. Souichi and Isogai walked towards the large wall, this time heading for the red door. It opened, they stepped through it, and suddenly Souichi found himself in a setting that he could only describe as "Hell".

The sky here displayed a bright red sunset. Purple and orange clouds billowed past, breaking up over jagged black mountains in the distance. There were several buildings in the immediate area, though they were small and made of wood. A few stone houses dotted the street. The air here smelled of mown grass and smoking wood, and Isogai took a deep breath of it.

"Home at last!" he said. "I've been on Earth too long. Let's go!"

They followed the cobblestone walkway to a collection of brick buildings, all painted dark red. Isogai pulled Souichi into one of the open doorways, and the human nearly tripped over himself from the sudden change in direction.

"Hey! Anybody home?" Isogai called.

"Yeah, yeah. Be with you in a minute," a gruff voice replied from somewhere beyond the thick racks of clothing that littered the small space.

Souichi scanned his environment curiously. Just like in Celest, there were all kinds of different clothes to be found on these racks. Some were folded on shelves, others were hung and packed together tightly on rods. Clothes weren't the only items in this shop; hats, shoes, belts, gloves, purses, wallets, folding fans, gun holsters, sword scabbards, hair pins, ribbons, bonnets, scarves, afghans, kerchiefs, aprons, and all other manner of apparel were scattered here and there in sloppy piles. Many of the accessories looked to be from costumes or movie props; he'd never seen so many pairs of cat ears in one place.

"Where the hell are we?" he asked.

"A clothing store, of course," Isogai said. "Though it'd probably be more like a costume shop on Earth. Demons have rather… odd tastes when it comes to fashion. When we get to downtown Central, you'll probably think you're in a masquerade party."

"Hey… that is something. Where are all the demons?" Souichi hadn't seen anyone else when they'd entered Demic, and the one large window in the storefront looked out on an empty street.

"Napping, probably, since it's about that time of day. We demons are pretty laid back. That's why the angels think we're lazy; they say we're not as productive as they are. Hah!"

"I see…" in Souichi's opinion, the angels were right on the mark.

After a moment another demon emerged from a doorway in the back of the shop. This man was tall and imposing, with hardened abs and thick arms under a tight leather jacket. Considering the amount of space he took up he should have knocked over at least a few things in the packed little aisles of the store. Instead, he navigated the clutter with practiced ease.

"Hey, Zack! How are ya?" Isogai greeted him with humor in his voice.

"Is-So-Gay, is that you?" The demon brought his hand down on Isogai's head, ruffling his hair roughly. "I didn't recognize you with that stupid haircut!" He and Isogai laughed, the man running a hand through his own buzz-cut blonde hair. It was then that his forest-green eyes fell on Souichi. He frowned, stroking his scruffy goatee. "Who's this human?"

"A friend of mine," Isogai said. "His name's Souichi Tatsumi. This," he turned to Souichi and gestured toward the enormous demon, "is Zack. He's a world-class bastard."

"And proud of it!" Zack said, grinning. Souichi noted with a little thrill of terror that his teeth were wickedly pointed.

"We need to set Souichi up with some clothes," Isogai said. "He needs to look like a demon so we can go back to Celest and reunite him with his lover."

"He is NOT my lover!" Souichi growled.

"Daww, how sweet!" Zack reached up to wipe away an imaginary tear. "OK, Tatami, what's your style?"

"It's Tatsumi."

"Whatever."

"And what do you mean?"

"Whatever. As in, I don't care if-"

"Not that!" Souichi nearly shouted. "I meant, why do you ask what my style is? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was just yanking your chain!" Zack laughed. "What I mean is, what are you? Like, a nerd or something? Judging from your clothes…"

"Yeah, sure. Fine." Souichi really didn't care, and he was starting to hate this obnoxious demon.

"I'll see what I can do," Zack said. He disappeared for a moment that then came back with, of all things, a small paper packet. Souichi stared at it; he'd been expecting some clothes or something. "Hold still," the demon said, and he opened the packet and suddenly dumped its contents on Souichi's head. The human closed his eyes as a swirl of dust clouded around him, and he sneezed.

"Wow, that looks great!" Isogai said.

"See what you think," Zack gestured to a floor-length mirror behind him. Souichi walked towards it and stopped dead in his tracks when he came into its reflection. He looked… very different.

His back had sprouted wings like Isogai's and Zack's, though while the short hairs on their wings were blonde his were the taupe-ish color of his own hair. The horns on his head were curved up and back, and were close to his head. His clothes had changed, as well. His jeans were slightly more ragged, and his white shirt was now a green A-shirt that showed off the new dragon tattoo on his left upper arm and shoulder.

"I kept the glasses on," Zack said. "No sense in having you stumble around blind. How's it look?"

"Uh… Well…" Souichi didn't know what to say. "How did you…"

"It was maaaaagiiiic," Zack said, waving his hands and drawing out the last word in a 'mystic' voice. "You humans are really cute, you know? Man, you people don't know anything about anything…"

"Again with the anti-human sentiment?" Souichi mumbled. Zack shook his head.

"Nah, don't misunderstand. I know it's not your fault or anything. I don't dislike humans; they're loads of fun! And when it comes to partying… Wow! You guys have the best clubs!"

"This moron's probably the least prejudiced person here," Isogai said. "He's married to an angel, after all."

"Really?" Souichi raised an eyebrow. "All I've heard is that angels and demons hate each other. How did you get with an angel?"

"We fell in love," Zack said simply. "We have to live down here, since I'm not really accepted much up there, but he doesn't mind."

"Wait… He?"

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

Souichi wanted badly to say that he did. However, Zack was a very large demon. His biceps were probably bigger than Souichi's head. _"He'll crush you like a bug," _his inner voice said. _"Besides, aren't YOU a homo?" _

He just grumbled, "Everywhere I go, there they are…" and didn't say anything else.

Isogai handed Zack a few of the glowing marbles, but Zack didn't take them. "Consider my debt paid," he said. "I kinda owed you, after all."

"All right, then. Thanks." Isogai closed his hand, and to Souichi's astonishment the little orbs were gone.

"That spell will wear off in a few days," Zack said. "Be sure to go back to Earth before then. If the cops examine you as you are, they'll sense that you're demon through and through, but when it wears off you'll be screwed."

"I don't plan to stay here long anyway," Souichi said.

"Thanks again, Zack," Isogai waved and then pulled Souichi into the street. "You're really rude," he said after they'd walked a little way. "That guy helped you out, yet you didn't thank him. You explode on people, you're violent…" He grinned. "You'd make a great demon, you know!"

Souichi just snorted.

**TBC**


	7. Wallace

Chapter 7: Wallace

"Hey, aren't you gonna take us back to that station place?" Souichi asked. His voice echoed a bit down the empty street. He and Isogai had been walking the deserted thoroughfare for a few minutes, and the demon had not warped them elsewhere as Souichi expected.

"In a little bit," Isogai said. He strolled along with an easy demeanor, his hands in his pockets and his wings bobbing behind him. Souichi kept reaching back to touch his own; they were softer than he'd imagined. The horns on his head were sharp, though, as he found out when he pricked his finger while exploring them.

"Why wait? I want to talk to Morinaga."

"It'd be best not to go back to Celest until things settle down. You don't wanna get hauled in, do you?"

"That guy said I was completely like a demon."

"Yeah, but if they recognize you they'll know that something's up."

Souichi frowned and looked around at the seemingly abandoned buildings. He didn't like this at all; he wanted nothing more than to get Tetsuhiro, pummel him, go back home, and forget that any of this ever happened. It seemed fate had other plans for him, though. Sighing in irritation, he kicked at the ground with his new black boots. He didn't like the punk look of his clothes, and he felt stupid walking around like that. It couldn't be helped, though. _"I think it looks pretty bad-ass," _the annoying little voice said. _"I wonder how Morinaga would look with a tattoo?" _

"_Oh, I'll give him a tattoo," _Souichi thought angrily. _"My footprint on his ass." _

"_Sexy." _Souichi stuffed the little voice back into its cubby and pretended that such a thought hadn't come from the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind.

Gradually the two were ascending a slope. It was so gentle at first that Souichi didn't notice it, but soon they were atop a hill that dropped down steeply on the other side. The rest of the town spread out before them, and Souichi stopped for a moment to take it in. The buildings were growing taller and larger, and in this part of town more of them were made of stone and brick. There were also people on the streets, wandering around lazily. While most of the angels in Celest had been bustling about, these demons were just loitering or milling around.

Above the panorama of the town, a wild landscape surrounded the area. To Souichi's surprise, there was a very large forest to the east. He'd always imagined Hell to be barren and scorching, but the trees looked dense and lush even from his vantage point on the hill. A river, sparkling blue amid the dark green trees, wound its way around and through the foliage and bypassed the town in a large bend. The water seemed almost to glow; Souichi had never seen a river so blue, and its color was especially strange considering the reddish sky.

Overlooking the land was a tall cliff backed by even more trees. On the precipice of the cliff, looming black and hazy against the sky, was a castle. "What's that?" Souichi asked, pointing in the distance.

"Hm? What?" Isogai looked up from the newspaper he'd picked up from a stall. The owner snoozed behind the counter.

"Is that a castle?"

"Oh, yeah," Isogai put the paper back and looked at the distant structure. "That was once the palace of the Demon King. But we don't have a king anymore."

"Why not?"

"What, a king of Demic?" Isogai smirked. "Anyone who'd try to rule this lot is a moron. There's no way you can organize demons under one rule. It just can't be done. We've had kings and presidents and chiefs off and on, but it never works out. The last ruler we had was ousted from the throne over a thousand years ago. That was his palace, a final attempt to assert his authority over Demic."

"Huh… So the castle stands even after a thousand years?"

"Yeah. A thousand years isn't the same here as it is on Earth. It's not much time at all to us… Though I wasn't even made yet back then."

"Ah. Wait, did you say 'made'?"

Isogai motioned for Souichi to start walking, and they made their way down the steep street. "Demons are made, not born," he said without breaking his stride. "We can't reproduce with each other. We can only impregnate angels via the 'kiss of life', so to speak. Most demons are made, though. For example, I was a human living about fifty years ago in France."

"Really?" Souichi stared at Isogai in astonishment. "Why are you named Isogai, then?"

"Oh, that was the name my mother gave me. She was Japanese, you know. I DO have that oriental beauty!"

Souichi scowled as Isogai flicked his hair dramatically. "Is that why you speak Japanese, too? And hey, what about that other guy?" It hadn't really crossed his mind, but now he realized that everyone he'd met or overheard in the crowd spoke Japanese.

"We don't really 'speak Japanese'," Isogai said. "When an angel or demon speaks to a human, you automatically understand us no matter what language you speak. Just another little magic trick of the gods, I suppose."

Souichi was silent for a moment, unsure if he should ask his next question. Finally, he decided that Isogai had more than intruded on his privacy, so it would only be fair to return the favor. "So how did you become a demon?"

"The same way most people do. One ate my heart."

"Er… What?" Souichi's steps halted once more. He took a moment to try making sense of what he'd just heard.

"When a demon eats a creature's heart, that creature becomes a demon. See, I made friends with Zack a while back. When I got tuberculosis and told him I was afraid to die, he offered to make me a demon. I accepted."

Souichi didn't say anything. He felt an odd mixture of disgust, intrigue, and sympathy for Isogai. He'd had no idea the guy had been so ill, and he'd never expressed anything as personal as being afraid of death. Such feelings were too deep for Isogai. Now he spoke of the past so flippantly, as if he were talking about the plot of a movie he'd seen.

They reached the lower part of the road, and here traffic was heavier. The demons were moving slowly and sluggishly, as if they had indeed just woken up from a nap. A few nodded to Isogai, or said hello. When the two reached a long building with no wall in the front, Isogai stopped. "How about we get a few drinks?" he asked jovially.

"I don't know…" Souichi remembered the too-sweet beverage in Celest. He was also anxious to return and find Tetsuhiro.

"The drinks here are a lot stronger, if you know what I mean," Isogai winked at him. "Come on, let's go! We can pass some time and wait until we can go back to Celest, OK?"

Souichi just nodded and followed Isogai into the bar. It was similar to a cabana, with some tables and chairs scattered around. He and Isogai took seats at the bar, and Souichi noted the tropical theme of the place. Considering the look of the rest of the town, this atmosphere was almost comical to the human. It was so out of place.

"Two volcanos for my friend and me!" Isogai called to the bartender, a thin demon woman with black hair and wings. She grunted and turned to grab a bottle off the packed shelf behind her.

"Volcanos?" Souichi wrinkled his nose at the name.

"It's just the name of the drink. A simmering volcano. Really warms you up!" Isogai laughed at his own joke. Souichi just frowned at him.

As it turned out, the glowing volcano was just to Souichi's taste. It was a murky black color, but swirling in the liquid were streaks of glowing red. This effect made Souichi reluctant to try it, but once he did he found it quite refreshing. It was most definitely alcoholic, as it left a familiar burn in his mouth and throat. However, the taste was spicy and a little smoky, with just enough sweetness to compliment the other flavors. The black liquid was a bit milky, and the streaks of red had the consistency of syrup.

Isogai ordered a plate of sandwiches, which came with some kind of meat and cheese. "I didn't know you people had to eat," Souichi said between bites.

"We don't actually get any nutrition from food," Isogai explained. "Angels and demons eat a kind of fruit that grows here and in Celest. That's our main diet. We do enjoy snacks like these, though." He chewed on a sandwich for a moment. "It's kind of like a treat. Not necessary, but still pretty good."

Souichi listened with interest, looking around at the other customers in the bar. To his surprise, he was very interested in the cultures of Demic and Celest. He felt like he should be more shocked than he was, but his initial confusion was wearing off in favor of acceptance and curiosity. Maybe he'd finally been driven insane, he thought as he asked the bartender for another volcano.

When they left the bar, Souichi was feeling nice and relaxed from the liquor. All things considered, he was in a good mood. He was even warming up to the tattoo on his arm. In his lightly buzzed state, he considered naming it.

"We'll hang out for a while longer, and then go back to Celest after dark," Isogai said.

"Sure," Souichi mumbled.

As they passed small groups of demons loitering around, though, he heard something that snapped him out of the pleasant daze: "I tell you, humans are disgusting!" He turned to look in the direction the exclamation had come from. There was a knot of demons near a storefront, and they were all crowded around a figure that appeared to be standing on something. He was of medium build, with reddish hair pulled back in a ponytail, and large red wings. His clothes were outlandish to say the least; a dark red suit with coattails, black shirt underneath, gold tie, and to top it all off a heavy red velvet cape. He was certainly the most interesting character Souichi had seen yet, and that was saying something.

"Hybrids of humans are even more so," the man was saying in a very strange accent, almost English. "Angels are the worst of all." The crowd was looking at him with mild interest, and Souichi drew closer to hear the demon better. "Friends, I ask you why you allow such filth in your realm. Why do you tolerate the angel menace coming here and telling YOU what to do? We should be resistant to their blasphemy! We should unite against them, and drive them from Demic like the pests they are! I say let them have their precious Celest!"

"Come on," Isogai said quietly, grabbing Souichi by the arm and dragging him away.

"Who was that?" Souichi asked. "What was his deal?"

"You know how I said there were always people trying to become ruler of Demic? Well, he's one of them. Name's Wallace. He claims to be the son of the last king, though that's highly unlikely. Like I said, demons don't really have parents or anything. If he were really the son of a demon, he'd have to have been born from an angel, and he hates angels too much for that to be true."

"Huh. Someone should tell him to shove it."

"I'd stay away from him if I were you," Isogai said. For once, his tone was completely serious. There was no trace of humor in his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because if he finds out you're a human, he'll kill you."

**TBC**


	8. Confessions All 'Round

**Notes: Here's the next installment of Finding the Light! Thank you for reading, and special thanks to those who reviewed, faved, and followed. It makes me happy to know that I'm keeping you entertained! ^_^ **

Chapter 8: Confessions All 'Round

Tetsuhiro practically stomped down the street, his shoes making a great deal of noise on the pristine sidewalk as he rushed downtown. He couldn't believe Kunihiro's actions. The next time he saw him, he'd give him a piece of his mind. At the moment, though, he could only focus on finding his senpai.

An hour previous, a guard had come to the house asking about a human and a renegade demon. Though Kunihiro tried to shoo Tetsuhiro away and speak with the guard privately, Tetsuhiro had insisted on knowing what was going on. "That psycho came here with a demon," Kunihiro had finally confessed. When Tetsuhiro realized what that meant, he was positively livid.

"_How dare he?" _His thoughts were racing faster than his feet as he passed angels, pushing some aside without even apologizing. _"Dammit, Nii-san! How could you do that to Senpai? Controlling, unfeeling, uncaring bastard! And Isogai… What the hell is HE doing?" _He was furious with his brother for tossing Souichi aside and then lying about it; he was suspicious that Isogai was the one who brought Souichi there in the first place; and he was scared to death for Souichi's sake. _"How is he handling all this?" _he wondered. _"Is he OK? What if he gets caught? Oh, gods…" _

After running almost three blocks, Tetsuhiro stopped and stood panting, trying to catch his breath and gathering his thoughts. There was a much faster way to find out where Souichi was, but he'd completely forgotten about it. "Calm down…" he told himself, and he took a few deep breaths. Other angels passed him by, giving him concerned and sometimes irritated looks. He paid them no heed, instead leaning against a lamp post and making a nuisance of himself to a group of pedestrians trying to get by him.

Closing his eyes, ignoring the muttered reprimands, he reached out into space with his mind. He had to find Souichi quickly.

VVVVV

Tetsuhiro's beloved was currently walking with Isogai down a busy street in Demic, feeling rather fearful at the moment. To add to all of the things that were wrong with the situation, he now had to fear for his life. He glanced from side to side nervously as they passed other demons and a few angels. Why hadn't Isogai told him that his very life might be in danger? Then again, Isogai had concealed the fact that he was a demon in the first place. Tetsuhiro had also lied to him.

"_To be fair, you probably wouldn't have believed them if they'd told you." _The little voice was back. Souichi growled in frustration, drawing a curious glance from Isogai.

"Hey, can you wait out here?" Isogai asked, stopping at another little store. The items in the windows were all antiques. "I have to go to the restroom, and the old lady here keeps the cleanest facilities around."

"Did you seriously come here just to use the toilet?" Souichi asked incredulously.

"Trust me, you don't want to see some of the worst ones," Isogai said before disappearing into the store.

Souichi crossed his arms and leaned against the brick, flinching when the rough stone scratched against his shoulder. He reached back to touch his wings again, and then arranged himself so he wasn't squishing them between the wall and his back. They had no feeling in them, as they were fake, but he didn't want them to look it.

He took the opportunity to observe his surroundings, mainly the people passing by. Unfortunately, someone was observing him. As he was scanning the crowd, a man walked towards him and tapped him on the shoulder. Souichi gave a start and glared at the demon. "What do you want?" he asked.

The demon, a lean man with long brown hair, just looked him up and down. He walked in a half-circle around the human, sniffed at him, and finally looked him in the eye. Souichi unconsciously leaned away. "Your tattoo looks crappy," the demon said at last.

"Huh?"

"Your tattoo looks fake."

"Uh… yeah..." Souichi grumbled, eager to just agree and end the conversation. Besides, it technically was fake; he couldn't very well argue that it wasn't.

"Heh, I knew it!" The demon crossed his arms and grinned. "What a pussy!"

"Go fuck yourself," Souichi snapped. He wasn't in the mood to put up with this.

"Ooh, cranky!" the demon laughed. "How about I rip you a new one?"

"Why you-!" Souichi balled up his fists. The demon was grinning widely.

"Now we're talking! Put 'em up!"

Souichi did just that. He didn't hesitate to rear back and punch the demon in the face, and with all of the frustration that had built up over the past few days it felt pretty good. The brunette stumbled back a bit and shook his head briskly. "Not bad," he said, spreading his wings and lowering his head. "But wait 'till you see this!"

The demon didn't get the chance to attack. As he charged, someone rammed into him from the side. He fell over, clutching his side, and glared up at the interloper: Isogai. "Now, now," the blonde demon said with a smile. "Let's not get rough, here. I'll ask you to leave my friend alone."

"The hell- Hey! That was my fight!" the nameless demon stood and angrily stomped his foot. "Who're you to butt in?"

"I'm just a wandering soul," Isogai said airily. "You wanna fight, take me on."

Souichi stumbled back into the wall as the two demons charged each other. He was completely confused about what was going on. What was with this newcomer? He was trying to ram Isogai with his head, angling it so that his inwardly-curved horns would bash into him. With the way he charged, and the shape of his horns, he looked like a ram. Isogai dodged every lunge, keeping his arms crossed as he sidestepped and jumped. After a few evasive moves, he suddenly spun around and got the demon in a head lock.

"Graaah!" The demon struggled, flapping his wings and flailing his arms and legs, but Isogai had too good a grip on him. Finally, the man went limp and said, "OK, OK! I give! You win! Now leggo!"

Isogai released him. "You underestimate the power of my holds!" he said triumphantly. The demon grunted, turned around as if he were going to walk away, and all of a sudden tackled one of the spectators. The woman who had been standing with the victim growled and jumped on top of the attacker. Before Souichi knew what was happening, a free-for-all fight broke out in the crowd and Isogai was grabbing his hand to pull him away.

"What the hell was that?" Souichi asked, stunned, as he was tugged along the street.

"Oh, that happens a lot around here," Isogai said. "Sometimes a guy like that gets the urge to fight, so he'll fight. Sorry you had to see that!"

That was when a flash of light blinded him. He covered his eyes with his forearm, squinting at the sudden assault on his retinae. Isogai's hand left his wrist, and when he looked up again he saw that the demon was being gripped by his shirt lapels. The person gripping him was an angry, snarling, winged Tetsuhiro.

"I should have known you were a demon!" Tetsuhiro said, shaking Isogai vigorously. "How could you do this? Why did you bring Senpai here? What are you planning to do to him?"

"Ack!" Isogai's head lolled back and forth as he tried to pull away from the frenzied angel. "M- Morinaga-kun…" he stuttered. "Let… me… explain!"

"You'd better!" Tetsuhiro released him and glared up at him. Unfortunately, it was his turn to be shaken. Souichi grabbed him by the front of his shirt and violently tossed him back.

For a moment Souichi and Tetsuhiro looked at each other, Souichi with an expression of fury and Tetsuhiro with one of horror. Isogai plopped onto the ground, rubbing his throat. Demons passed the trio with curious glances. Finally, Souichi said, "You've got ten seconds to explain to me why I shouldn't annihilate you."

"S- Senpai, I…" Tetsuhiro stammered, his face pale. "I didn't think you'd actually… Wh- why did you come here?"

"To find you!" Souichi shouted. Now that he was face-to-face with his kouhai, he felt unsure of what to say. The stress had been building all this time, and now his eyes blurred with tears that he tried desperately to withhold.

Tetsuhiro looked away from him. "Why?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm here to bring you back home," Souichi said.

"Senpai…" Tetsuhiro sighed heavily. He looked up at the darkening sky. "You made it pretty clear how you feel about me. You don't love me."

"_That's not true," _that little voice said, but Souichi ignored it.

"To you, it's all about the sex. I wanted a real relationship with you, but you…" the angel sighed again. "Look, I know I lied…"

"Hell yes, you lied! Can you blame me for being angry?" Souichi's fists were clenched at his sides.

"No, but let's be honest. This is just going to keep happening. I feel like we're making some progress, and then something happens to pull us apart. Despite my own feelings, you were…" his voice hitched a little. "The whole time, you didn't… care… How can I expect you to love me when you're so resistant to it?"

Souichi couldn't make his mouth move. He didn't know what he wanted to say.

"It's better if we just stay apart," Tetsuhiro continued. "I'm sorry, but… I can't just be your friend. I want so much more, and if I stay around you I'm just going to keep pushing myself on you."

"Th- that's not… true…" Souichi mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't want you to go away…" This time, it was the human's voice that was cracking. "I came all this way to find you, you know. Now you're saying that you don't even want to know me?"

Tetsuhiro gave him a long, pained look. "Senpai, you can't be saying that you love me. Not now."

"_But… I can't, right?" _Souichi thought, once more at a loss for words.

"_Grow some balls," _his inner voice said.

"What if… What if I am?" he whispered. Tetsuhiro looked even more upset upon hearing this.

"Oh, Senpai…!" he gasped. "Why now? Why?"

"That's what you wanted, right?" he mumbled, looking down at his boots. "Shouldn't you be happy?"

"I- I am, but…" Tetsuhiro gripped the bottom edge of his shirt and wrung it tightly in a show of anxiety. "Oh, why do you keep pulling me back? This has to stop! I can't do this anymore!"

"Shut up!" Souichi snapped. "You think **you're** upset? What about me? **I **feel like my whole life's just been torn apart! I've been paraded through Hell, slapped around by demons, hunted by the cops… All for YOU, you idiot!" Tears fell down his cheeks as Tetsuhiro turned away from him. "All for some guy who does weird things to my body, and makes me furious at myself… So yes, I love you, you idiot!" He didn't even care that Isogai was still sitting on the curb, trying to look like he wasn't listening.

Tetsuhiro kept his back to Souichi, but the human could see his shoulders were shaking. "This can't be happening now…" he moaned.

"What? Are you crazy?" Souichi stomped over to the angel and spun him around forcefully by the shoulders. Looking up at him, he glared his hardest and growled, "You come into my life and turn everything upside-down, you disappear over stupid shit, you make me chase you halfway across Kingdom Come, and now you tell me you DON'T WANT ME?"

"It's not that, it's just… Oh, gods…" Tetsuhiro couldn't meet Souichi's gaze.

"What's your problem? Why can't you just come home with me?"

"You won't want to be with me now!" Tetsuhiro cried, his hands coming up to cover his face. "Oh, gods, I'm so stupid!"

"Why? What's the matter?" Souichi was getting concerned.

"Senpai, I- I'm pregnant!"

**TBC**

**Well, there you have it! Who wants to bet that Souichi drops dead right then and there? XD **


	9. Some Time to Think

**Notes: I'm so happy that this story is enjoyable to so many people! Thank you, everyone! Here's the next two chapters. Enjoy! ^_^**

Chapter 9: Some Time to Think

The first thing Souichi saw when he opened his eyes was a white plaster ceiling. He blinked, reached up to rub his eyes, and then sat up to look around. He was back in his own room. The wings, horns, and tough-guy clothes were gone. His shoes had been taken off of him, and he realized that there was a cold cloth on his forehead as he leaned forward and it fell into his lap.

Only the top sheet covered him, so he pushed it aside and stood up. _"How did I get here?" _he thought. He didn't remember being taken from Demic. Then again, perhaps the whole thing had been a dream. _"Let's see… Angels, demons, weirdo with a grudge against everyone…"_

"_Morinaga's pregnant," _the little voice reminded him.

Souichi shuddered and clutched at his shoulders. That **had **to have been a dream. To his dismay, though, he knew that it wasn't when he walked into the living room and saw Isogai and Tetsuhiro sitting there. Both still had their wings.

"Hey, Sou-kun," Isogai said tentatively. "How do you feel?"

"Confused," Souichi said, dropping into a chair.

"Umm… do you remember what happened?" Tetsuhiro asked.

"Yeah," Souichi sighed, and then his face paled. "Yeah…"

"You fainted," Isogai said. "Hit your head pretty hard. Good thing Mori-kun here knows a few healing spells!"

"Huh."

Silence pressed in on them heavily. Souichi just stared ahead, his mind scrambling to make sense of the situation. He had already pretty much come to terms with the fact that Tetsuhiro was an angel. A few hours spent in Demic had helped him acclimate to that fact. He was willing to look past all that and remain with Tetsuhiro. But this…

Tetsuhiro was going to have a baby. More importantly, Souichi was going to be a father. He certainly hadn't planned for this. He'd never really thought about having children, and the prospect of having a kid with another man was incomprehensible. He knew that angels were different from humans, and he'd learned that male angels could conceive. However, the fact that it was Tetsuhiro who was expecting didn't connect with any of that.

"Senpai, what do you want to do?" Tetsuhiro asked, not looking up from the spot on the wood floor that his eyes had fixed on.

"Why?" Souichi's voice was barely a whisper.

"What?"

"Why did you do this? How?"

Tetsuhiro blushed. "When I kissed you before I left… I wasn't thinking clearly then. I was determined to never see you again." He smiled bitterly. "You always find a way to pull me back, though… I thought you'd eventually move on without me, since I didn't think you really cared about me. When I did that, I… I don't know…" His head dropped into his hands. "What a mess…"

"I'll say," Isogai chimed in. "So why did you do something like that? Most people don't think 'I've got to get knocked up' when they leave their boyfriends…"

"I told you, I don't know! I just wanted to have someone. I- I didn't want to be alone… I thought that if I had someone to live for, then I wouldn't be tempted to…" he couldn't finish that sentence, and Souichi was glad of it. The human shuddered.

"So that was your way of staying with Souichi, huh?" Isogai said. "Angels are so weird."

Souichi had wrapped his arms around himself tightly, and was looking past Tetsuhiro out the pitch-black balcony door. _"What am I going to do?" _he thought.

"_Either way, you're stuck with child support," _his conscience said.

"_I know that! I just don't know if this will work out. I mean, he's gonna have a KID! We can't stay here. What'll happen when it's time for it to be born? What will I tell Kanako, and Dad, and Tomoe? What about Matsuda-san?" _

"_They'll just have to deal with it. You can't exactly pack up and move to Celest."_

"_Shit… I don't know what I should do…"_

"Senpai," Tetsuhiro's voice drew Souichi's attention out of his own mind. "I'm not asking you to stay with me. I know that this," he put a hand over his abdomen, "is something you don't have any interest in. It's not like you ever wanted children." Souichi didn't respond. "I'm just going to go back to Celest. This isn't your responsibility. I- I'm sorry…"

"Don't go," Souichi said, almost without intending to. Tetsuhiro gave him a look that said, _"Are you insane?"_ "Look, I don't really… I mean, I have to think. Can you just give me some time to think?"

"Of course," Tetsuhiro smiled a little. Perhaps there was hope for them, after all.

"A month. Give me a month," Souichi said. "You go back to your brother. Stay there for a while. OK?"

"OK, Senpai. I- I love you…" Tears shimmered in his eyes. Souichi looked at him with a vague, dazed expression.

"… Yeah. You know… same…" he mumbled.

VVVVV

"Well, well. Look who's come crawling back." The sardonic voice drawled from the living room as soon as Tetsuhiro entered the house. Kunihiro was sitting in his armchair with a book in his hands and a scowl on his face. Rather than lowering his gaze or slouching or showing any other sign of remorse, Tetsuhiro spread his wings and leapt across the open space. He collided with Kunihiro, who shouted in alarm as his brother's arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"He loves me!" Tetsuhiro cried. "He **loves **me! Kunihiro, can you believe Senpai said that he actually-!"

"Get off!" Kunihiro shoved Tetsuhiro to the floor. "You dash out of the house yelling at me, and then you expect me to be happy that that psycho decided he wants you?"

"Well, yeah," Tetsuhiro couldn't stop smiling. He did release Kunihiro, though, and flopped onto the couch. "This means that most likely, I won't have to stay here for long. He said that he needed time to think, but… I have a feeling that he'll decide that he really does want a baby."

"You sound sure of yourself," Kunihiro scoffed. "What makes you think that?"

"Senpai loves his family a lot, and he's always talking about the times he babysat for his siblings. Besides, surprise pregnancies happen all the time in the human world, and a lot of times the couple stays together to raise the child. Senpai's just that kind of person."

"All right, but what about the problem of mortality?" Kunihiro asked seriously. "You are an angel. He is a human. He'll die eventually, and you'll be left alone. Are you sure you both want to live like that?"

"… We'll just have to make it work out," Tetsuhiro said. He didn't tell his brother that he already had a plan for that. He knew Kunihiro wouldn't be happy at all about it, but he'd just have to deal with it later. For now, he was hopeful and happy. His senpai hadn't turned him away. He just needed time to think, and for him Tetsuhiro would wait as long as he had to.

"So how long did he say he needed?" Kunihiro asked.

"A month. Is it all right if I stay that long?"

"Sure," Kunihiro mumbled unhappily. He didn't like being intruded upon, but he **really **didn't like that Tetsuhiro might end up practically married to Souichi.

"I wonder if he'll want to do it when we reunite?" Tetsuhiro sighed dreamily.

Kunihiro blanched. "I don't want to hear about that!" he groaned. "Keep it to yourself!"

"I know he might be a little reluctant to be… well, **done **by a pregnant guy, but who knows? I might not be showing much by then, so…" The younger angel was already lost in his own fantasies. Kunihiro buried his nose in his book and huffed miserably.

"Why do you do this to me?"

"After a whole month, of course he'll be needy… Hehe! I can't wait!"

"Gods, make it stop…"

VVVVV

Isogai and Tetsuhiro had left for their respective realms, and Souichi was once again alone in the apartment. He sighed and dropped into the armchair. Had it really only been a day since all this madness had started? It had only been eight hours since he'd learned that demons and angels existed. In that short amount of time, he'd mingled with monsters, found his kouhai, and become a dad.

He felt exhausted, mentally and physically. Though his stomach was empty, he was too tired to eat. He dragged himself back into his room, pulled off his clothes, put on his pajamas, and fell into bed. _"I wish I could talk to someone about this…" _he thought, then immediately retracted that sentiment. _"Who the hell am I kidding? No amount of talking about it's gonna change things."_

"_Yeah, that's what they all say." _He groaned when his inner voice argued back at him.

"_What's that supposed to mean?" _

"_It means you're in denial." _

"_How the hell am I in denial?" _

"_You don't wanna face facts. You're going to stay with Morinaga, no matter what. You lo-"_

"_No! No I don't!" _

"_DE-NI-AL." _

"_Shut it!" _He was getting rather tired of holding this inner monologue. He tossed and turned, despite how tired he was, and ended up staring into space as he lay on his back. "God, I need a drink…"

**TBC**

**Yeah, I left you with another cliffhanger, but sometimes they're just the best way to end a chapter! Blame the story mechanics. XD **

**Oh, and Red Mynx, I have to respond: I don't like Masaki much, either! I try not to bash him in my stories, because that would just be blatant ex-favoritism. But I try to keep his scenes minimal if I possibly can. **

**As for what you said about the other story, "The Simplest Solution", I agree with you! I kinda rushed Tetsuhiro's breakdown because I thought of it more as him suddenly breaking down, sort of a "straw that broke the camel's back" situation. Also, I did write it fairly quickly. As for continuing it, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you; I don't really plan on writing a second installment. I might, if I get inspired to, but it was something I just wanted to get out of my head. Sorry… -_-'**


	10. Welcome Home

**Notes: OK, this chapter was NOT supposed to come right after the last. There was a chapter in between that I just cannot get right, so since I was taking too long with it I decided to just move on with the story. I apologize for the sudden skip in time from the last chapter… If I manage to finally write the missing chapter, I will post it as chapter 9.5. Again, I apologize for the disjointed time skip… -_-;**

Chapter 10: Welcome Home

On a pale, gray morning, Tetsuhiro sat up in bed and yawned. Taking a moment to orient himself, he realized what day it was. He smiled and pulled his knees up as far as he could, wrapping his arms around his growing abdomen. One month ago, he had left Souichi to think about their future. Today was the day he returned to Earth.

To be honest, he was feeling a little nervous. His stomach fluttered horribly, but he was just as excited as he was apprehensive. Kunihiro had been more than eager to constantly remind him that Souichi might decide he wanted nothing to do with Tetsuhiro, but the young angel forced himself to discount that thought. Souichi had said he loved him. To him, that was proof enough that the human would want him to stay.

He got out of bed and fluttered his wings. Lately he had been favoring robes as the child inside him grew, but dressing that way would attract too much attention in the human world. He changed into the larger pants he'd had to buy, and put on his favorite maroon shirt that he'd brought from Earth. It was a little tight, but not uncomfortable. Though he never really bothered with his hair, he gave it a few passes with a comb to smooth the unruly locks. This would be the first time seeing Souichi in a month, after all. He wanted to look good.

"Kunihiro, I'm going to Earth now," Tetsuhiro called.

"Oh, no you don't," Kunihiro replied from downstairs. "Eat something before you go. You don't want to pass out from hunger, do you?"

Reluctantly, Tetsuhiro schlepped down the stairs and grabbed some fruit from the bowl on the table. Today's selection was a bright ruby red. Angelic sustenance consisted almost entirely of this fruit, which grew in different colors. Red wasn't Tetsuhiro's favorite, but it was pleasantly sweet with a slightly spicy aftertaste. He munched on the apple-like morsel until it was all gone, and then wiped his hands on a kitchen towel.

Kunihiro was in the living room, reading as usual. "Are you sure you want to go?" he asked when Tetsuhiro passed him.

"You know I am," Tetsuhiro said.

"Be careful, then."

Tetsuhiro waved and closed his eyes, and soon he was standing in the In-Between. With his heart pounding, he made his way to an available portal and waited in line. Soon he would be reunited with Souichi. In the midst of his happy mood, though, was a nagging little doubt. What if Souichi decided that he didn't want all this hassle?

The thought of life without his senpai was one that popped up every now and then, and it always brought a wave of nausea with it. What if Souichi turned him away? What would he do then? His original plan had fragmented in his mind, and now he could only remember bits of it at a time. Kunihiro's house was open to him, but had staying there really been a good option? Sooner or later, his parents would visit. He knew they wanted nothing to do with him, and he especially didn't want them to know that he was going to have a human's child. If Souichi didn't want him to stay…

His stomach gave another lurch. It was his turn to step up to the portal.

VVVVV

Souichi had been up since the crack of dawn. He was tired, he was irritable, and he was hungry. Kanako's fears were certainly well-founded; he'd done a poor job of feeding himself all month. He was feeling a little ill, and he knew he'd lost some weight. Exhaustion and hunger, plus the emotional strain he'd been through for the past weeks, drained him. On top of that, he had stubbed his toe when he'd woken up. His head hurt and his knees felt like jelly, though he couldn't tell if it was from weariness or anxiety.

Despite it all, though, he was a little relieved. With his reunion with Tetsuhiro imminent, he found himself feeling like a starfish waiting for the tide to return. As sunlight peeked through the back windows, he began to pace back and forth in the living room. He started to glance out the peephole in the door, and strained his ears to listen for footsteps on the landing.

"_As soon as that idiot gets here, you'd better put him to work in the kitchen," _his inner voice grumbled along with his stomach. For once, Souichi agreed with his conscience.

On the one hand, he wouldn't have to wait long. On the other hand, he was so startled when Tetsuhiro suddenly appeared in the living room that he fell onto his derriere. Now with a rump ache to add to his list of complaints, he cursed and glared up at the angel. His icy stare melted before it could really form, though, when he saw those green eyes looking down at him in alarm.

He hadn't expected Tetsuhiro to be so big already. It had only been a month, yet his abdomen was quite noticeable. Still, it gave the angel no trouble when he leaned down to help Souichi to his feet. "Hi, Senpai," Tetsuhiro said in a small, uncertain voice.

"Hey," Souichi's reply was just as small and uncertain.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Souichi braced himself. His kouhai had That Look. Sure enough, he soon found himself engulfed in Tetsuhiro's arms and squeezed tightly. He blushed when his stomach pressed against the swell of Tetsuhiro's abdomen. It felt so strange. He didn't try to push Tetsuhiro away, though.

Finally, Tetsuhiro released him and said, "I missed you, Senpai."

"Yeah," Souichi mumbled.

"So, how have you been? You look a little thin…"

"I'm fine. Just been busy, that's all."

Tetsuhiro gave him a look that said he didn't believe him. He let it slide, though. "Senpai, have you, um… Have you given any thought to…"

"Why are you so big?" Souichi interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Your stomach."

"Ah, I forgot… Humans usually carry their babies for nine months, don't they?" Tetsuhiro smiled a bit, sheepishly. "For angels, it's only four."

"WHAT?!" Souichi gawked. Only four months? That meant… "So in just three months, it'll…"

"Yeah. Sorry, I forgot to mention that before, considering everything else that was going on…"

Tetsuhiro thought Souichi would be angry at this. Instead, once the initial surprise wore off, Souichi shrugged. "Well, no matter. It's gotta come sooner or later, right?"

"Yeah… But, Senpai, about your decision…"

Souichi brushed past him, interrupting him again. "Hey, come look at this. See what you think."

Tetsuhiro followed Souichi across the living room, and watched curiously as Souichi opened the door to what had been Tetsuhiro's room. Souichi stood aside to allow Tetsuhiro a look. When the angel saw what was beyond the doorway, he gasped and let his mouth hang open, unable to say anything.

What was once his bedroom was now a nursery. All of the furniture had been replaced with a crib, a changing table, a chest of drawers, and a bookshelf. All of these things were white wood, but some blue sheets had already been fitted onto the crib's mattress. There were a few books already on the shelves, and an owl-shaped nightlight sat on the dresser.

Tetsuhiro took a long look at the room. Then he spun around and, grabbing Souichi around the waist, kissed his senpai enthusiastically. This time Souichi did shove him away. "What was that for?" he spluttered, his face red.

"Senpai, you…" Tetsuhiro's eyes shimmered. "Thank you…!"

"No big deal. I thought we could go get clothes in a few months, but it looks like we'll have to do it a little sooner."

Tetsuhiro just nodded, still at a loss for words. Then a thought occurred to him. "Um, where will I sleep?"

Souichi's frown deepened as he looked down at the ground. His face and ears were radish-red now, and he bowed his head to hide that fact. He went to his bedroom door and pulled it open, revealing that there was now a double-wide bed in the room. Tetsuhiro's computer sat on his desk. The closet door was open, showing that it was now divided between their clothes.

"Senpai!" Tetsuhiro cried and once more grabbed Souichi in a tight hug.

"Try anything at the wrong time, and you'll sleep on the porch!" Souichi said, allowing himself to be hugged. "The bed's just our two twin beds pushed together, so I can always pull them apart if you don't behave!"

For a while, Tetsuhiro inspected everything in their bedroom. He shook his head at the state of Souichi's clothes, and took them down from the hangers to shake them and hang them again properly. He did the same with the folded clothes, mumbling that Souichi would go around looking like a hobo if he kept this up. Souichi just watched him, sighing in resignation.

Once Tetsuhiro was satisfied with the state of their room, he went into the nursery. He took a book off the shelf and read the title. "_Principles of Modern Chemistry_?" He put it down and looked at two more. "_Physics: A Handbook, _and _Highlights of the Meiji Period_… Um, Senpai, I think we'll need to get some children's books."

"Those **are **for the kid," Souichi said.

"Shouldn't we get some fairy tale books?"

"Sure, for light reading," the human pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and lit it. "But I want my kid to start out smart. No child of mine is going to a second-rate preschool."

"Fine, fine," Tetsuhiro laughed, and then he grabbed the cigarette from Souichi's lips. "Senpai, if you want our child to be smart and, well, healthy, could you not smoke in the apartment?"

Souichi snatched back his cigarette and walked to the porch. To be honest, he had been smoking outside more; still, it was a hard habit to break. He'd been used to smoking only outside when he'd been in his family home. In his own apartment, though, he had grown lax about it.

Tetsuhiro smiled and followed Souichi outside. With a flutter, his wings shrank and vanished. The two men looked out over the neighborhood, Souichi thoughtful and Tetsuhiro beaming. Standing in silence for a while, they were each absorbed in their own thoughts. After ruminating for a while, Souichi said, "I guess I'll go call Dad."

"Why?"

"Well, I have to tell them all sometime."

Tetsuhiro bit his lower lip. "Are you sure you want to tell them?"

"What else would I do?"

"We could just say we adopted. I can hide this," he rubbed his belly, "for a while. And I'll have to go to Celest to have it, anyway. We can easily just tell them…"

"No, I want to be honest about it."

Tetsuhiro raised an eyebrow. "So you won't be honest about being ga-"

"What's that?"

"Ah, I mean…" Souichi's glare stopped that train of thought cold. "That is, y- you didn't even tell them that we were living together. Why would you tell them about this?" Souichi didn't answer. Tetsuhiro looked at him askance for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "Senpai, you don't mean to say that you'd be less comfortable telling them about our relationship than… well, all this. Do you?"

He couldn't see the blonde's face, but his ears had turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. "I may as well load it all on them at the same time, right?" he mumbled.

"So let me get this straight," Tetsuhiro said, not sure exactly how to feel. He didn't know if he was frustrated with his senpai's particular brand of denial, charmed by that adorable shyness, or amused about the whole thing. "You want to tell them that there really are angels and demons, that I'm one of the angels, AND that I'm pregnant… But you were always too afraid to even admit to yourself that you're ga- er, in a relationship with a ma- I mean, with me? Is being, um, in that… situation really more of a big deal than the whole angel thing and the baby combined?"

Souichi flicked his cigarette butt aside and blew out a puff of smoke. Simply, he said, "Yeah, that's about right."

Tetsuhiro only rolled his eyes. He loved Souichi dearly, but sometimes all he could say about him was: Damn.

**TBC**

**I hope it wasn't too bad. Reviews are love, people! ^_^ **


	11. Family Reunion

**Notes: OK, here's the next chapter! I've got this and a few others written already, but I keep going back and forth with myself debating on how I should change things. I'm never satisfied with anything… ^^; **

**Thanks so much to all of you who are reading and reviewing! Even if the story seems ridiculous, I'm glad you're getting some enjoyment out of it. **

**Red Mynx, you're too harsh on me! Lol What should I do, write a whole chapter of nothing but Masaki-bashing? Actually, though… That doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Maybe I'll write another story and basically let reviewers decide what they want to happen to him. Perhaps you'd like to offer up the first suggestion? **

**As for this story, though, I'm sorry that I can't give a whole detailed description of the birth and physiology and all that… I did explain the android physiology in "One Click Away", but here the description comes a little later in the story itself. Sorry that it's coming so late! I just didn't find a way to fit it all in at once in an earlier chapter. I didn't want it to be infodump after infodump, so I tried to spread it out a bit. A few other reviewers have asked the same things, and all I can say is: wait and see. Sorry again! -_-' However, I can say that the baby is incubating in the abdomen, ectopic style. To a human woman, an ectopic pregnancy is extremely risky. These are angels we're talking about, though, so to them it's not really that dangerous. Female angels often don't have entirely female sexual organs, so many of them incubate the same way as males. Don't worry about not being indoctrinated into the mythos of the MPREG; each story is different, after all! I usually have a hard time believing MPREG (though I still enjoy reading some of them), but with angels it's usually a lot easier to explain. After all, they're more spiritual than corporeal. **

**I'm still trying to work on chapter 9.5, so to all of you who want to see Souichi angsting, hopefully you won't have to wait for too much longer. I hate to have to have you all read back a few chapters, but I didn't want to put the whole story on hold when I already had other chapters written… Once I figure it out, though, I'll post a note letting you all know. Thank you for your patience! **

**Anyway, that's enough of my rambling. Here's the next chapter! And please, let me know what you think. I know that this will seem really, REALLY silly. Frankly, I hate this chapter. I hate how the family's reactions turned out. Not to spoil anything, but it's just really stupid… Sorry!**

Chapter 11: Family Reunion

"They'll be here Friday."

"Ah," Tetsuhiro said, acknowledging that he'd heard his lover. He was currently washing dishes, humming a tune to himself as he scrubbed. Souichi had just finished talking to Tomoe, and was now putting on his coat so he could step out for a smoke.

"Put those down," the blonde said, grabbing his lighter and pack of cigarettes. "I'll do the dishes when I come back in."

"I don't mind," Tetsuhiro said.

Souichi shrugged and walked outside. Tetsuhiro's humming turned into whistling; he had really never been so content in all his life. He was starting to think that being pregnant wasn't as terrible as everyone was always saying. It had been nearly two weeks since he'd moved back to Japan, and in that time Souichi hadn't hit him once. Of course there had been plenty of times when the human wanted to hit him, but he always managed to stop himself. Not only was Souichi being a lot kinder, he was also pitching in with the chores.

In a way, Tetsuhiro felt a little apprehensive about Friday. That was when they would all gather at Matsuda's and reveal everything. The angel felt nervous not for his own sake, but for Souichi's. _"What if his family abandons him, like mine did me?" _he thought as he placed wet plates on the rack. He'd made a several-course meal for dinner, and there were quite a few dishes to clean.

He stared down at his hands for a minute, and then resumed his work. _"No, they wouldn't do that… They're not like my family."_ He smiled to himself. "I wonder if they'll really accept you," he said, rubbing his abdomen. Lately he had started talking to the baby, though he knew he wasn't heard or understood. "Still, you never know," he said when Souichi had told him it was useless.

Putting down the dishrag, he leaned against the counter and put both hands on the growing bulge. He could feel its heartbeat. The tiny little flutter was barely palpable, but angels had a talent for detecting living things. "You're growing so fast," he said. "I can't wait until you get here! I'll bet your dad's eager, too. I'm sure he can't wait to meet you!"

"Are you talking to the fetus again?" Souichi asked, coming in and taking his coat off.

"Yeah…" Tetsuhiro rubbed the back of his neck. "I can feel its heartbeat…"

"Really?"

"I'm more in tune to stuff like that, so yeah."

Tetsuhiro turned to start drying dishes, but Souichi kept staring at him. Even after Tetsuhiro was done, and he went to sit on the couch and turn on the TV, Souichi's eyes followed him. He joined his kouhai on the sofa and tried to focus on the television, but he couldn't stop from glancing over. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he placed his hand on Tetsuhiro's abdomen.

"Huh?" The angel gave a little start and looked quizzically at Souichi. Souichi kept his gaze on the TV, but his hand timidly rubbed Tetsuhiro's swollen belly. A warm feeling bubbled up from Tetsuhiro's chest. The expression on Souichi's face was most definitely one of awe. Tetsuhiro didn't dare to move a muscle, afraid that this fragile moment might slip away.

Suddenly, he felt an almost imperceptible bump from within. Souichi flinched. "What was that?" he asked, pressing his hand against Tetsuhiro's abdomen to try and feel the tap again.

"I think he just kicked," Tetsuhiro said. "That was the first time… I think he knows you're here."

"That's stupid," Souichi grumbled, turning back to the TV.

Tetsuhiro was elated to note that Souichi's hand didn't leave his stomach.

VVVVV

Friday dawned overcast, with a slight drizzle that soon darkened the pavement. Souichi and Tetsuhiro hurried along under twin umbrellas. "Didn't your dad get in last night?" Tetsuhiro asked as their shoes made splashes in the puddles.

"Yeah, but I wanted to wait until Tomoe came, too," Souichi said. "He just arrived this morning."

Both men's stomachs were churning nervously. Souichi kept thinking about what his family would say. He knew that they would accept his relationship with Tetsuhiro, but the other facts would be difficult to explain. They wouldn't believe it at first, he was sure. He would just have to find a way to make them believe it. _"I could always drag them through Demic or Celest," _he thought. _"Have Morinaga take them there and then put them through what I had to go through… Hmm…" _

He wasn't particularly aggravated by Kanako, and not at all at Matsuda; however, the thought of subjecting his father and brother to the demons' particular brand of "welcome" made him inwardly cackle with delight. Such thoughts entertained him during the walk to Matsuda's house, and by the time they got there he was imagining locking Tomoe and Soujin in the old castle just to scare them while he had Kurokawa dangling on a rope over the cliff.

Then they reached Matsuda's house, and his body went cold. Tetsuhiro took his hand reassuringly, as if he could sense his senpai's feelings. Souichi pulled away at first, but then suddenly grabbed Tetsuhiro's hand back again. When he went to knock on the door, he held the angel's hand firmly, as if he were forcing himself to do it. Tetsuhiro gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Souichi nudged his leg firmly with his foot, a warning not to go overboard with the affection.

"Souichi nii-san!" Kanako cried cheerfully when she pulled open the door. She went to hug him, but stopped when she saw his and Tetsuhiro's clasped hands. With a wry look, she said, "So can I guess what you came here to tell us?"

"Just as insolent as ever, I see," Souichi grumbled and pushed past her. Tetsuhiro smiled at her, and she took his other hand and trailed the two inside.

"Hey, Nii-san," Tomoe greeted Souichi when they all entered the sitting room. "Morinaga-san. How are you guys?" With so many people present, the little room felt even smaller. Souichi thought he would faint from the oppressing closeness of everything.

"It's great to see you again!" Soujin stood and wrapped his arms around Souichi, causing his son to break his grip on Tetsuhiro's hand. Kanako seated herself at one end of the table as Matsuda came into the room.

"I just saw you a little bit ago!" Souichi said, pushing his father off of him. Soujin ruffled his hair and then smiled at Tetsuhiro.

"It's good to see you again, too, Morinaga-kun!" the older man said. Tetsuhiro gave him a nervous little bow.

Once everyone was seated around the table, with Tetsuhiro and Souichi side-by-side at one end, Matsuda said, "So, Souichi-kun, what is it that's so important? You sounded very serious on the phone. I hope everything's all right…"

"As well as they could be," Souichi said. He placed his hands on his knees, took a deep breath, and lowered his eyes to the table. "First of all, let me tell you that Morinaga and I… we're… er, in a relationship…"

Matsuda seemed to be the only one who was surprised by this information. Tomoe and Kanako shared knowing looks, and Soujin seemed confused. "What kind of relationship?" he asked.

"We're dating!" Souichi slammed his fist on the table. "Can you really be this stupid, old man?"

Soujin's eyes widened, and then he grinned. "Well, it's not like I ever saw you getting married and having children in the first place!" he laughed.

"Hey! You were more surprised when Tomoe came out… Are you saying I'm, what, more GAY-LOOKING than him?!"

Everyone laughed at this, except for Souichi. Tetsuhiro laughed the hardest, because he felt so relieved. Though he knew the other pieces of information would shock and probably disgust them, it felt good to be accepted for once. He had never dreamed that "coming out" could ever be anything more than awkward. Though most angels were fine with homosexuality, since they saw it as more an issue of love than sex, his parents were staunch believers in what they called "a fitting picture". It wasn't a question of sex or procreation; they just wanted their son to keep up a good appearance, and that meant finding a good-looking female to compliment his gender. To them, it was an aesthetic matter.

"All right, shut up now," Souichi tapped his soda can on the table and cleared his throat. "I've got some other things to say, so listen up. I know you're not gonna believe us, but first… Well, Tetsuhiro's an angel."

"Aww, you're getting mushy on us, Nii-san!" Tomoe laughed.

"I mean, he's an angel."

As if on cue, Tetsuhiro unfolded his wings. Matsuda gasped and covered her mouth, while Kanako and Tomoe's mouths fell open. Soujin just stared as if he didn't understand what was happening.

"OK, I have to know…" he finally said. "You're really an angel?"

"Yeah," Tetsuhiro looked down at his lap.

"Really?" Kanako squealed. "Oh, my God! I can't believe this! It's just like that show, _My Girlfriend is an Angel_! And that other one, _Wingman_! Oh, and that other series with the angel soldiers that come to Earth, and one falls in love with a schoolgirl…"

"You watch too many cartoons," Souichi grumbled.

"This is amazing…" Matsuda mumbled, her hand to her cheek. "I- I can't believe it! Morinaga-kun, are you really from Heaven?"

"Well, in a way…" he said. He explained about Celest and Demic as best he could, pausing to answer Kanako's and Soujin's questions—they seemed to be the most curious of all.

"So why did you come to Earth?" Tomoe asked.

"I, uh, went through a rough time…" Tetsuhiro blushed. Souichi had been curious, too, but he had a feeling he already knew the story. "My boyfriend and I broke up, and my parents threw me out, so I…"

"Why would they throw you out?" Soujin asked.

"Ah… They thought I had caused something bad to happen to my boyfriend…"

"Which was completely untrue," Souichi cut in. "His parents are assholes."

"I thought angels were supposed to represent everything good in the world," Soujin said, a frown on his face. "That they would cast you out just because of a rumor or something… That's terrible, Morinaga-kun…"

Tetsuhiro blushed and lowered his gaze again, but he was smiling a little. "Thank you… But you know, angels are just as flawed as humans. You can't blame them for that."

"You're more forgiving than I am," Souichi grumbled. He was NOT pleased at how this had turned out. Considering the shock he had gone through upon learning all of this, he wanted his family to at least suffer a little. Instead they seemed to be taking it in stride.

"Well, never mind them," Matsuda said. "You're almost like family to us, anyway. Why look to the past when you have such a bright future with Souichi-kun?"

"Th- thank you…!" Tetsuhiro bowed to her, partly to show his gratitude and partly to hide the tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry… I've really caused you all a lot of trouble, coming here and dropping this on you…"

"Well, I guess weird things do happen," Tomoe said.

"Yeah, I believe in angels anyway," Kanako said. "After all, I always felt like Mom's still watching over us, so why can't there be angels and demons?"

"Yes, that's right," Matsuda said. "And demons were once common here in Japan, weren't they?"

"Haha! Well, demons used to be common, until we paved over their homes and built factories in their forests!" Soujin laughed. He wasn't a particularly religious or superstitious person, and he often teased Matsuda on her rather old-fashioned beliefs in gods and demons.

"Actually, that's right," Tetsuhiro said. "Tengu and other demons used to live around here, but not so much lately."

Soujin seemed to find this funny, and he laid his head in his arms to have a good laugh. Matsuda nodded her head. "You know, my mother always believed in such things," she said. "She was a devout Buddhist and follower of Shinto."

Souichi growled in irritation. Why weren't they taking this more seriously? "Yeah, well, whatever you all believe, it's true," he said grimly. "And the fact remains that angels can do things that humans can't. For example, angel guys can get knocked up."

"Wow, really?" Kanako raised an eyebrow. "That's weird!"

"Now you're going to tell us that Morinaga-san is expecting," Tomoe said sarcastically.

The room fell silent when Souichi and Tetsuhiro said nothing. Tetsuhiro looked back down to his lap while Souichi stared at his family defiantly. He was almost daring them to be shocked, and halfway hoping that this would finally be the bit of information that would really floor them.

Needless to say, they took that dare.

**TBC**

**Another cliffie! Sorry! Didn't want this chapter to drag on too long… So, um, do you think the family's reactions are a little too odd? It's difficult to write someone's reaction to news like this. I try to think, "What if I found out that angels were real?" And considering their personalities, it seems like they would take it a bit better than Souichi, who tends to react explosively to everything (and who was dragged through another dimension). Still, sorry if they were too out of character! God, this story just feels so stupid… -_-; **


	12. Celebrations and Instincts

**Notes: OK, obviously this next chapter and the couple following it will mostly be of a lighter tone than the rest of the story. Forgive the shift in perspective, but I can't pass up the opportunity to linger on the pregnancy a bit. I promise not to get too off course from the main plot! **

**As always, thanks to everyone who is reading and who reviewed! You guys are my inspiration to continue, you know! I'm glad you pretty much all agreed that the family's reaction was at least believable. Thanks for the encouragement! Oh, and Red Mynx, in some fandoms there really ARE established rules for MPREG. Seriously, there was a website that detailed every "canon" aspect of proper Dragonball Z MPREG… ^^; **

**Oh, and one more announcement before we begin… I've still been puzzling over the "missing chapter", and I think I'm going to try telling it in flashbacks so you guys don't have to backtrack. Let me know what you think, and if I should continue it in this way. I just keep feeling like a "Souichi going through angst" chapter would be a little pointless because you KNOW that he's going to accept it in the end (don't kid yourselves; why would I write about Tetsuhiro getting pregnant and then have Souichi abandon him?). Also, I think it might balance out the overtly silly nature of these chapters and give you some insight into the hell that Souichi went through to accept all this. **

Chapter 12: Celebrations and Instincts

After the big declaration, Souichi had expected his family to be dumbfounded. He'd pictured Matsuda fainting, and perhaps even Tomoe. Kanako would, of course, be speechless. His father might miss the message entirely, asking "What's going on?" over and over as he struggled to make sense of the reactions going on around him.

Instead, his family ended up surprising **him**. Soujin had indeed struggled for a moment, but then his face broke out in a huge smile as he started to laugh. To Souichi's astonishment (and irritation), the old man was just happy to have a grandchild on the way. Matsuda clapped her hands in prayer, thanking the gods for the wonders of the universe. Kanako squealed and put her arms around Tetsuhiro, while Tomoe sat in silent contemplation. Of all of them, he was the only one who seemed a bit disoriented, as if he was feeling nauseous.

As for Souichi, he now sat near the corner of the room and moodily sipped his soda. Would there ever come a time that he could consider his family normal? They all crowded around Tetsuhiro, who was surprised to receive so much attention. They asked questions about how it could happen, and when, and why, and so on and so forth. When their curiosity was satisfied, Matsuda went into the kitchen to whip up a celebratory dinner.

"Well, son, congratulations!" Soujin exclaimed, clapping Souichi on the back so forcefully that the younger man choked on his drink. "I never thought you of all people would have a family!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Souichi growled.

"Aww, I'm only teasing!" Soujin said. "Really, I'm so happy! And this is all so fascinating… I'm going to have to take notes!"

"Ah, I hope you're not planning on writing a book or anything…" Tetsuhiro said a bit nervously, as Kanako ran her fingers through the ebony feathers of his wings.

"No, no, this is just for my own personal curiosity," Soujin said.

"Dad likes to study different creatures and plants," Kanako said.

"Oh, so I'm a creature, then?" Tetsuhiro laughed. Soujin patted him on the shoulder.

"No, I like to study other human cultures, too," he said. "You could say I'm a man of many interests. It's just… well, you can understand! I've never had the pleasure of meeting an angel before!"

Souichi scooted closer to the table and leaned his elbows on it. "So Nii-san," Tomoe said, "how do you feel about all this?"

"How should I feel?" Souichi huffed. "Is it any of your business how I feel?"

"Ahh, you're going to love being a father," Soujin sighed wistfully. "The most fulfilling time in my life was when you all were children…" He let out a long sigh, looking down at the table with a soft smile on his face. "Haah. If only your mother were here. I'm sure she'd be happy, too."

"Don't get all sappy on us," Souichi said.

"You're right," Soujin smiled at his son. A long time ago, they had all decided that they wouldn't show sorrow when thinking of Hana. It wasn't what she would have wanted. Still, he couldn't help feeling a painful heaviness in his heart when he thought about her. "Well, it smells like Matsuda-san's got something good cooking!" He sniffed the air loudly for emphasis. "Come to think of it, I'm starving!"

"I'll go help," Tetsuhiro said, standing and walking into the kitchen.

"Me, too!" Kanako rose to follow him.

Souichi set his empty soda can on the table and leaned back. Despite his sour mood, he too was feeling a bit happy. A small part of him had been terrified of being estranged from his family. To see their reactions was encouraging. For once, he actually did feel a little bit of happiness at the prospect of what was to come.

Just a little.

VVVVV

Since the celebration dinner at Matsuda's house, Souichi had been in an ever-improving mood. Tomoe was going to return to America the following morning, but Soujin said he was going to stay for a while. To be sure, he was busy; however, he planned to go tie up some loose ends with his field research before coming back to Japan to stay for a few months. This made Souichi a bit happier about the whole affair; despite his age, he still liked having his father around.

When the young scientist woke up the next morning, he was a little relieved to see that Tetsuhiro was not in bed with him. Sleeping in the same bed presented the angel with a lot of temptation, though he had held his lust in check in light of his current condition. Regardless, Souichi often woke up feeling a warm body clinging to him. It wasn't pleasant for someone who was used to sleeping alone (or at least, that's what he told himself).

Figuring that Tetsuhiro was in the bathroom, he got out of bed and gathered some clothes. When he got to the bathroom door, though, he saw that it was open and the room was empty. "Morinaga?" he called, looking around the deserted apartment.

"In here," Tetsuhiro replied. Souichi followed his voice to the nursery.

Like a balloon untied and swiftly deflated, his good mood reverted. At first he couldn't see Tetsuhiro at all for the mass of fabric in the center of the room. Sheets, tablecloths, towels, curtains, and even some laundry had all been piled up on the floor. Peeking from under a blanket was a mess of black hair and wide, green eyes.

"What the hell is all this?" Souichi asked.

"Ah, well, I was just moving some things around…" Tetsuhiro's voice was muffled.

"Moving things around?" Souichi took a few steps into the room, nudging the pile with his foot. "It looks like you're hoarding every scrap of fabric in the house! Why the hell did you do this?"

"I just… Well…"

"Don't tell me this is some sort of angel thing!"

"Yeah…" Tetsuhiro popped his head fully into view. "It's a nesting instinct, I think. I didn't mean to do this, really. I started out moving the couch cushions around because they felt uncomfortable, and, well…"

"God…" Souichi moaned and shook his head. "Anything else I should know? So I won't be surprised when I find you, I don't know, making pancakes in the shower?"

Tetsuhiro just smiled and burrowed deeper into the sheets. That was when Souichi realized there was indeed something else he needed to know. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought to ask yet. "Hey, by the way… How is that kid getting out of you, anyway?"

"It'll have to be cut out," Tetsuhiro said simply.

"What?" Souichi leaned against the doorframe. "Are you saying you'll have to go into surgery or something?"

"Something like that. Basically I'll go to the healer—um, that's like a doctor, by the way. The healer will put me to sleep and then take the baby out."

"So angels have had modern surgery methods for how long?"

"It's done with potions and a magic knife that heals the skin shortly after it's cut," Tetsuhiro said. As he spoke, he shifted cloth around and tramped it down in places with his hands. The "nest" was fairly small in circumference, but rather tall and fluffy. "There's little bleeding, since the knife cauterizes the blood vessels as it cuts."

"Huh." Souichi rubbed his chin in thought. It sounded like a simple enough procedure.

"It's the same for female angels, you know," Tetsuhiro said. "I mean, they can give birth naturally, but it's easier to do the surgery. Angels weren't really built to birth children without help."

"Then how the hell did angels procreate before?"

"Hmm… I don't really know," Tetsuhiro said musingly. "I think angels used to be born from some kind of pool somewhere, but legend has it that two angels used to be able to make a child in a magical ceremony. Our species has been evolving for millions of years, though, so nobody really knows. By the time we had developed a written language, we had already started to develop alongside humans. Some say that we even used to look different before humans came along…"

Souichi nodded and turned to head to the bathroom. The mystery of ancient angel spawning aside, he felt a bit at ease now that he knew what to expect. _"I was starting to think he'd drop the kid out of his ass hole," _his inner voice said. He was glad to get into the shower so he could forget about that thought. That voice was getting rather crude, and he wondered if it was the echo of his repressed adolescence taking this last chance to be crass.

VVVVV

A day came when Tetsuhiro's abdomen prevented him from leaning close enough to the counter to reach the top shelf of the cabinet. Souichi just happened to look up from the newspaper at that moment and noticed the trouble his kouhai was having. Setting the paper down, he said, "Morinaga, just how far along are you, anyway?"

"Umm… about ten weeks," the angel said.

"Hm. That leaves… what, six weeks?" He lifted his mug to take a sip, but suddenly slammed it back down on the table. "Only six weeks! Damn! That's not really long at all, is it?"

"Well, it could be more like seven," Tetsuhiro sat on the couch beside Souichi. "But yeah, he'll be here soon!"

"You know what this means…" Souichi mumbled gloomily. He had been dreading this day for a while.

"Ah, we have to go shopping for clothes and things, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Great!" Tetsuhiro stood up and folded his wings into his back. "Let's go!"

"Hold on," Souichi grabbed the eager man's wrist before he could dash off to get dressed (these days he walked around the house in his pajamas, since they were roomy enough). "What about that?" he pointed to the rather prominent bulge. It was shaped distinctively, so that nobody would be able to mistake it for a beer gut, and it wouldn't be easily hidden.

"Ah, well…" Tetsuhiro frowned as he thought for a minute. He hadn't left the apartment in a while. "Oh, I know! I can just use a spell!"

"A spell?"

"There's a mirage spell that causes others to see you as you want them to. I'll have to go get it, but… Senpai, could you wait here while I get it?"

"Sure, I suppose…"

"OK, be right back!"

Tetsuhiro closed his eyes and bowed his head. His wings emerged from his back, and he took a few steps forward. Suddenly a bright light engulfed him, causing Souichi to flinch away; when he looked up again Tetsuhiro was gone.

Souichi busied himself with some school work. He went outside and smoked a cigarette, and then came in again to find something else to do. Waiting was one of his least favorite activities, no matter the end goal. Finally, he settled down to watch TV, but turned it off when he grew irritated at it.

He stood and walked to the window, then to the bedroom. He ended up wandering into the nursery, and he stood in the doorway for a moment observing the mess beyond. "Damn…" he muttered, looking at the pile of sheets, towels, thin rugs, and even a stray potholder. The room certainly looked different than when he'd first rearranged it.

"_Damn you, Morinaga!" _his own voice seemed to echo from the walls. He looked to the left, the wall between the two bedrooms, where there had been a large stain just over two months earlier.

'_CRASH' went the bottle. Beer foamed and trickled down the wall, soaking the floor beneath as Souichi watched, satisfied. He'd just gotten back from a trip through Hell (literally), learned that his lover was an otherworldly creature, and discovered that said MALE otherworldly creature with whom he'd had an odd relationship was going to have a baby. His baby. THEIR baby. A little life, brought into existence without his knowledge or consent. What else would he do but get hammered? _

_He left the room briefly to grab another beer—canned this time—and returned to drink it while staring at Tetsuhiro's bed. It was neatly made, which somehow irritated him. With the beer still in his hand, he went over and threw the blanket and top sheet off. Then he tossed the pillows aside, and plopped down with much splashing of his beverage all over the normally pristine blue sheets. One of the pillows had careened onto the desk, sending pencils and pens flying. Souichi looked around at the chaos he had created, and it was good. He now felt that his surroundings matched the mess his life had become. _

Souichi shook his head clear of the memory, and then knelt down to poke through the pile on the floor. "Well, at least I know where my gray socks went…"

"Oh, did I take those? Sorry," Tetsuhiro said. Souichi jumped a little and spun around to see that his kouhai had returned.

"Did you get the spell?" Souichi asked.

"Yeah. Give me a minute to get dressed, OK?" The angel ducked into their bedroom, where Souichi heard hangers clanking in the closet. When Tetsuhiro came back into the living room, he was wearing an oversized green shirt and jeans—but his abdomen was still just as swollen as it had been before.

"You might want to use the spell now," Souichi said.

"I did," Tetsuhiro reached into his pocket and held up a paper packet similar to the one that had disguised Souichi in Demic. "I'm bringing some along, too, just in case. The spell's an illusion, and it only works if you don't know the truth. Other people will see me like I used to be, but you know what I really look like so you see through the illusion. Cool, huh?"

"Sure," Souichi frowned. He didn't think that made any sense at all from a scientific standpoint. It seemed to him that magic was a lot of puffery and illusion, and that made him wary of it. A man of science never trusted anything that couldn't be explained with hard facts and careful study.

As the two donned their shoes and coats, Souichi asked, "So, any news from up there?"

"Not much," Tetsuhiro said. "There's some talk about Demic having a new king, but I didn't hear the details. Oh, and Masaki-san's staying with Kunihiro for the weekend! I wonder if they're going to date?"

Souichi didn't much care about Masaki and Kunihiro's relationship. The mention of Demic having a new king sent a chill up his spine. He had a feeling he knew who it was. He followed Tetsuhiro out the door and locked up as usual, shaking off his discomfort. What did he care about some nut job taking over another dimension?

Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, he hurried down the walkway towards the stairs.

**TBC**


	13. Revenge of the Puppies

**Notes: Well, sorry it's been so long! We're moving to another city in a month, and there's so much to do to prepare! Anyway, this chapter is just me indulging in a little silliness. After this, it all goes to hell (literally) XD. **

**Thanks again to all who reviewed, faved, and read! Special thanks to my anonymous guests, Red Mynx, and Bunny-chan2022! **

**Oh, and Red Mynx, you don't know the half of it! XD DBZ MPREG is all sorts of messed up. Usually, it's Goku who gets Vegeta preggers or the other way around. It always involves an elaborate Saiyan mating ritual, a primal sex scene, a possessive bite to the neck… there are a lot of rules. Lol Also, to answer your question, angel wings disappear when they "fold" into the back. Sorry, I didn't explain that properly! The wings are made of telescoping bones that collapse and expand as needed. Once they're pulled inward, they vanish completely from sight (though evidence of them remains as two slight bumps on the shoulder blades). It's science and magic, mostly magic (i.e. artistic license). **

Chapter 13: Revenge of the Puppies

Little Angels Garden was the sort of place that Souichi hated to be within a hundred meters of. The store sold everything a parent would need to care for the little ones: furniture, bedding, clothes, food, dishes, bottles, diapers, toys… All in pastel colors and cutesy patterns that irritated Souichi for some reason.

Yes, Souichi hated all things cute. It wasn't that he hated children, or even animals; but the adorable little characters that adorned many children's merchandise really got on his nerves. As soon as he and Tetsuhiro entered the store, his vision was assaulted by a sea of pinks, blues, greens, and yellows. He saw kittens and puppies and little baby chicks leering at him from every side, staring at him with their beady little eyes.

"Welcome to Little Angels Garden!" a young girl, clad in a pastel yellow merchant's smock, bobbed toward the two men as soon as the door closed behind them. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, we're just browsing," Tetsuhiro said. "Thank you anyway."

"OK, then! Say, are you shopping for a baby shower? We can check the registry to see if your friend or family member has signed up with us, if you're not sure." Souichi let out a hissy little breath when the brunette girl made her inquiry. One thing he hated about these places—and he had been in a few with his parents while they were shopping for Tomoe and Kanako—was the curiosity of the sales staff. Entering a baby store was like putting on a sign that said, "Please ask about my personal life."

"Ah, no, this is for…"

"We just have to get a few things," Souichi cut in before his kouhai could say anything more. Despite his effort, the girl's face grew shocked before she smiled.

"Ah, I see…" she giggled. "Adopting, are we?"

At this point, Souichi grabbed Tetsuhiro's sleeve and dragged him through an aisle of stuffed animals. "That was rude, Senpai!" Tetsuhiro said.

"Well, it was rude of her to be so nosy!" Souichi grumbled. He turned a corner at a teething ring display, dove past some bibs, and finally stopped in the newborn clothing aisle. He scarcely had time to catch his breath, though, when he was suddenly patted on the back.

"Souichi-kun! Tetsuhiro-kun!"

With a feeling of dread, Souichi turned to face his father. "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping for my grandchild, of course!" The older man grinned, holding up an orange onesie with green letters that read, "Grandpa's Little Pumpkin". Souichi almost gagged.

"My kid's not wearing that!" Souichi snapped.

"Why not?" Tetsuhiro asked.

"Oh, don't mind him," Soujin said, putting the outfit back into his hand basket. "Souichi's always hated cute things. Has ever since he was little, and we were picking out clothes for Tomoe."

"Everything marketed for babies is just so irritating," Souichi said. "There's no dignity in it! Why should a kid look like a jackass just because he's too young to know better?"

"Lighten up, Souichi-kun!" Soujin laughed and pulled a blue onesie off the rack. "Say, Tetsuhiro, how about this? Oh, you don't mind—er, you are practically family now, so…"

"I don't mind at all!" Tetsuhiro said. Immediately he joined Soujin next to the onesie display, and the two set to work examining every single one.

Souichi sighed and glanced at the racks upon racks of clothes. As always, he was beginning to feel outnumbered. He was just glad Kanako wasn't here. Who knows what she'd do or say. When he turned around, though, he began to wish that Kanako **was** there instead of their father.

"So only six weeks to go," Soujin was saying as he stared down at Tetsuhiro's belly. "Is it kicking yet?"

"Oh, he is!" Tetsuhiro laughed. "It's a he, by the way. We angels can usually tell."

"How fascinating!" Soujin exclaimed. "And how do you explain the… Well, you're pretty big now, so aren't you worried about…"

"It's a spell. People who don't know what I really look like see me as, ah… thin."

"Ah, well, that's a relief! I was afraid you were having to pretend to have some kind of tumor or something!"

"_What a cozy little picture…" _Souichi thought. _"They're idiots. Both of them." _

"Tetsuhiro-kun, may I…?"

"Of course!"

To Souichi's horror, his father reached out and placed a hand on Tetsuhiro's stomach. "Hey, stop that!" the blonde shouted. "Someone might see you!"

"All right, sorry," Soujin said, withdrawing his hand.

The three went back to searching through clothing until Tetsuhiro said, "Hey, look at this!" He pulled a blue outfit off the rack and held it up for the others to see. Its sky-blue fleece was patterned with brown puppies, each with a lolling red tongue and a white spot over one eye. Soujin laughed when he saw it.

"Sou-kun had one almost exactly like it when he was three!" he said, fingering the tiny sleeve. "Remember that, Souichi?"

Souichi didn't answer. He was too busy staring aghast at the onesie. Those sappy little dogs… His eyes narrowed. "P- puppy…" he muttered. How he hated those footie pajamas. He remembered being encased in smothering warmth, fussing as his parents laughed at how cute he looked. The one picture they could get of him in those pajamas had been burned in the fire that took their house, but he still remembered it. "Puppy… FUCKERS!" he shouted.

They got more than a few odd looks when they paid for their items and hurried out of the store. Souichi's eye was still twitching.

VVVVV

_Just days after learning of his impending status change from "carefree student" to "parent", Souichi lay on his couch staring up at the ceiling. A part of him wished he hadn't gone after Tetsuhiro that night. Most of him wished he'd never said anything to make his kouhai run in the first place. All of him was teeming with panic, and yet on the surface he seemed calmer than ever. _

_Correction: he seemed practically dead. _

_He hadn't showered in God knew how long. He hadn't eaten in half that time, except for a few rice crackers he'd found in the back of the cupboard. He drank only beer, and he had the headache to prove it. Most uncomfortable of all, he hadn't really moved from the couch in hours. The cushions probably had a permanent imprint of his body by now. _

_Inside, though, he was seething. "That fucker," he thought. "How could he do this to me? I wish he'd just die and leave me alone." _

"_**You don't wish that," **__his inner voice said. _

"_Shut up!" he croaked aloud, his voice hoarse from misuse over the past day. "I'm way too hung over to deal with you right now!"_

"_**You're crazy. You know that? You look like a homeless person. Do you know how pathetic you are?" **__Was that voice speaking aloud? Was he actually talking to himself out loud?_

_He didn't really care at that point. "So what? My life's over. Everything I held dear is now lain to waste around me. Nothing will ever be the same again." _

"_**Why?"**_

"_That damned idiot is pregnant! He's a GUY! AND IT'S MY KID!" _

"_**So? I thought you wanted to cut ties with him. You have a chance now, after all. You can just forget about him." **_

"_Huh. I could, couldn't I?" _

"Are you coming to Celest with me?"

Souichi opened his eyes. He was lying on his side facing Tetsuhiro, but his lover's features were slightly blurry even though they were fairly close to each other. "You mean when you have the baby?" Souichi asked.

"Well, not only then," Tetsuhiro shifted so that his hand was under the pillow. "He's starting to drain me a bit. Pretty soon I won't have enough energy to teleport to Celest…"

"When were you planning to go? And for how long?" The human's mind defogged a bit as he thought about his school schedule.

"Maybe by the end of next month. That'll mean at least a couple of weeks there…"

Souichi bit his lower lip in consternation. "I might be too busy," he said. "What if we call Isogai? Maybe he could take you there when the time comes. Then you won't have to stay in Celest."

"Not him…" Tetsuhiro groaned.

"I'm calling him," Souichi reached for the phone. It was only half past eleven, and he knew Isogai liked to stay up late. Scrolling through his contact list, he ignored Tetsuhiro's protests.

The demon answered with a cheerful, "Helo-oo!"

"Isogai, I need a favor." Souichi thought it best to just cut to the chase before Isogai could pull him into any banter.

"Oh? Why so abrupt? What's the favor?"

"Can you get Morinaga and me to Celest?"

"Hm? You mean now?"

"No, in a few weeks. He has to have the baby there, so…"

"Ah, I see." Isogai's smile was almost apparent in his voice. "No problem. I guess you guys will go to his brother's?"

"We'll see."

Tetsuhiro sighed as Souichi conversed with Isogai. He had never trusted the demon. Not that he initially hated all demons, but the karaoke incident had certainly started them out on the wrong foot. The angel allowed himself to doze lightly, keeping one ear tuned to Souichi's voice so he could monitor the conversation. He was roused from his relaxed state when Souichi said, "So, I hear Demic has a new king."

Tetsuhiro opened his eyes a bit. Why would Souichi care about that?

"Huh. Didn't think the guy would actually make it," Souichi said. "Yeah. Yeah. What? You're kidding, right? They're seriously behind him? Psh. Whatever. Hm? No, that's not it. I just don't like guys like that. A douche like him has no business being king."

Now the angel was fully awake. He waited until Souichi ended the call before asking, "Were you talking about the new king of Demic? You don't know who it is, do you?"

"Actually, I saw him when Isogai was dragging me around up there. The guy's a bastard."

"You don't think it's something to worry about, right?"

"Why would I worry about it? I was just curious, that's all." Souichi set his phone aside and relaxed into the pillows. "Shut up and go to sleep. I've gotta get up early tomorrow."

Tetsuhiro nodded and scooted a bit closer to his lover. "I wish I could go to school," he said. "I'm gonna miss it…"

"Hm." Souichi didn't know what to say to his kouhai. The truth was that he missed having him in the lab as much as Tetsuhiro missed being there, but what could they do? While he was expecting it was just best if he stayed home, and after the baby came one of them would have to stay home all the time (and Souichi would be damned if it was going to be him).

"Senpai, what are we going to do about finances?" Tetsuhiro asked after a moment of contemplation.

"I don't know. I can make an OK living as a researcher, but to support a family…"

"I could still get a job," Tetsuhiro said. "I won't be able to work in Hamamatsu, but I can find work locally. Or I could stay on at the lab and be a researcher like you."

"What about the kid?"

"We'll have to find a babysitter, of course," Tetsuhiro said. "Maybe Matsuda-san would agree…"

"Perhaps. But for now, at least right after it's born, you'll have to stay home with it. So let's just figure it out later, OK?"

Sometimes it was hard for him to remember why he'd decided to stay with Tetsuhiro. Then he remembered how much it hurt to have him gone. As confusing as his life had become, he still couldn't say whether he was really happy being with his kouhai. He did know that he was unhappy when they weren't together. When Tetsuhiro was around, everything just seemed to fall into place even as it all fell apart. The apartment was spotless, and his mind was a mess. He was well fed and utterly confused. Tetsuhiro's smile made him feel warm inside, and that put him on guard.

He didn't fall asleep for a long time that night.

**TBC**


	14. The Arrival

**Notes: This is where the story gets more serious, and where Wallace comes in. It's dramatic and probably overblown, but enjoy anyway! Special thanks to Bunny-chan2022, who was apparently the only person who read the last chapter. Thank you, Bunny-chan! :D As for the rest of you: even if you didn't review, thanks for reading! **

Chapter 14: The Arrival

"_I don't want this… I don't want this…" Souichi muttered to himself. _

"_**So don't have it. Tell him to go away. What do you care?" **_

"_He's carrying my child…" _

"_**He can take care of it on his own. His brother will probably help him." **_

"_Why are you telling me this? Didn't you want me to stay with him?" _

"_**Why are you crying?" **_

"_I am NOT crying!" Souichi screamed at the top of his lungs, not caring if the neighbors heard. He wiped at his eyes furiously, angry at the moisture that streaked his hands. _

"_**You're drunk again." **_

"_That's all I want. I just don't want to deal with this! I can't!" _

"_**Then make him stay away. You don't love him, do you?" **_

"_I- I…"_

"_**You don't need him." **_

"_I don't know…" _

"_**You don't like what he does to you. You don't think he's handsome and fun to be with. You don't think he's cute when he pouts."**_

"_Shut up…"_

"_**And that feeling you get when he tells you he loves you?"**_

"_Mori…"_

"_**That's just indigestion." **_

"_Morinaga…" _

Weakness. Souichi scowled at himself in the mirror, remembering those drunken rants. He'd been so weak then; helpless, like a child. Was he still confused? Hell yes. But he now knew that he would stay with Tetsuhiro no matter what. He wanted to see their child come into the world. He was looking forward to it, even if he was afraid for their future together. More pressing, though, was that he didn't have any excuses. His family was nuts, as usual, so they supported him 100%. He and Tetsuhiro had help with inter-dimensional transportation thanks to Isogai. He couldn't think of any reason to bail out on this.

The human splashed water in his face, rubbing vigorously. Tetsuhiro was almost ready to go. After months of dreading it, he had finally gotten the news. "Senpai, it'll be soon..." Surprisingly, he felt calmer than he'd imagined. He often saw depictions of harried fathers on TV, rushing around like they were totally out of touch with their minds. He wasn't reacting like that. It was true that his hands were shaking as he dialed Isogai's number, and that he'd needed Tetsuhiro to remind him to pack his own suitcase. But he was certainly in control of himself.

"How do you feel?" he asked when he emerged from the bathroom. Tetsuhiro was on the couch, one hand over his abdomen.

"OK," he said. "He's starting to shift a lot. I can feel him looking for a way out, I guess!" The angel smiled good-naturedly despite his discomfort. "This isn't nearly as bad as what human women go through."

"Good," Souichi walked to the balcony doors and glanced out at the sky. Just looking at Tetsuhiro made him feel calmer. If his kouhai wasn't worried, then he didn't have any reason to be.

Isogai arrived fifteen minutes later. "Wow, Morinaga-kun!" he said with a smile when Tetsuhiro opened the door. "You look about ready to pop!"

"Thanks for coming," Tetsuhiro said with as much gentility as he could muster. Whether he liked it or not, Isogai was their savior in this instance.

"So, when do you think it'll be born?" the demon asked as he stepped into the apartment.

"Hard to say. Tonight or tomorrow."

"Well, we'd better get you to Celest quick, then! You ready to go, Mori-kun? Sou-kun?"

"I've called Dad and put in for vacation," Souichi said, picking up his and Tetsuhiro's small suitcases (they only planned to say for a maximum of a few days). "Let's go and get this over with."

VVVVV

The new king of Demic surveyed his new kingdom, adjusted the new crown on his head, and fell back into the new cushions on his brand-new couch. Life was good. Wallace had received several gifts in honor of his inauguration, and everyone agreed that he had done a great job of crowning himself. The ceremony was spectacular. "Invite them for free food, and they'll go along with anything," he said to himself.

"_Sire?" _A black shape glided across the floor. It was accompanied by a white one. Each moved like shadows, conforming to whatever object they passed over.

"Just talking to myself," Wallace said. "How goes the search?"

"_The wisps haven't reported back yet," _Wallace could only tell that it was the white shape speaking by the airy quality to the voice. It sounded like wind made verbal, genderless. _"I estimate there to be several dozen angels currently in Demic." _

"So many," the king scowled. "Bah. Dozens of vermin in my kingdom… How about the bodachs?"

"_Every gate is guarded," _the black shape said. Its voice was scratchier, more high-pitched than the wisp. _"All demons living in Celest have been located—there are 33. We're ready to move out any time you like." _

"Wait for the report from the wisps. I'll issue orders once I know how many angels we have to expel."

"_What about Earth?"_

"Leave it for now. We'll deal with humans and human-lovers in due time. There shouldn't be any in Demic or Celest, so we can save them for later."

"_And if we do find one?" _

Wallace glared out the window, as if he could already see the reviled creatures running for their lives. "Eliminate it."

VVVVV

It became apparent that something was amiss as soon as they entered Celest. Isogai didn't lead them down the street, but stood still and looked around for a moment. Souichi glanced around, too; it was still early in the evening, but very few angels were out. Isogai reached for his cigarette pack. "'S quiet out tonight," he said. "I don't like that… Let's go."

"What's wrong?" Souichi asked. Unconsciously, he took Tetsuhiro's hand in his. The angel squeezed it reassuringly.

"There's a weird energy here…" Isogai said, motioning for his friends to follow him as he began walking up the road. "Of course, that's not too unusual since Wallace came to power in Demic. Some say he's talking about starting up a war… whatever that means. It's not like he has a real army."

"What about bad-ass demon powers and all that?" Souichi asked.

"Oh, sure, we have cool powers. But demons are some of the worst soldiers you could ever get. We're not really motivated to fight for anyone else unless it serves our own interests. I'll put it this way—as inspiring an orator as Hitler was, he'd be laughed out of Germany if it were populated by demons."

"That probably would have been better for Earth," Tetsuhiro said. He was taking slow steps, holding his abdomen with one hand and breathing deeply.

"Almost there," Isogai said. Tetsuhiro recognized his brother's neighbors' houses all around them, and he sped up a little. He was eager to sit down again.

VVVVV

"_Sire, I've just heard from the bodachs," _the black shadow said, gliding into Wallace's room once more.

"Oh? And no news from the wisps?"

"_No. But the bodachs have detected movement in Celest…" _

"So? Just add them to the roster." Wallace scowled at his minion. He adjusted his red bathrobe, shivering a bit as water cooled on his skin. "Really, why do you have to bother me now with trivial bullshit?"

"_Uh, Sire, there were three people who entered Celest just now…" _

"AND?"

"_Only one was an angel. Another was a demon." _

The king paused while reaching for the servant bell. "And… the third?"

"_A human." _

"In Celest? With an angel and a demon?"

"_That's right, Sire." _

"Hmmm…" Wallace stroked his chin thoughtfully, his craving for canapés forgotten. "I wonder what that's about? You don't think they're plotting something against me, do you?"

"_Uh… I don't see why they would…" _the bodach said. If it had a head it would have scratched it. Why did the king always have to think people were after him? That was one delusion that had spurred his ambition to become king in the first place—he always thought people were plotting against him, and so it only made sense that he should have the power to have them executed for treason. It served his ego to believe that.

"I still want to know what they're up to," Wallace said. "Send some wisps to find out."

"_Yes, Sire," _the shadow was gone in the blink of an eye. Less than three minutes later, a contingent of white wisps was heading towards Celest.

**TBC**

**Well, let me know how it was! Particularly, what do you think of Wallace? Trust me, odds are you'll come to despise him in the next chapter or so. If not, I'm not doing this right. **

**Anyway, now that these two plotlines are about to intersect, what's going to happen? I already have the next few chapters written, so expect another update soon! ^^**


	15. Life and Death

**Notes: Well, I know I said all my stories are on hiatus, but Red Mynx has demanded another chapter and so I must obey. XD This was already written ahead of time, though, so let this be a sign that I will soon take all of my fics off of hiatus. **

**In truth, I struggled with this chapter a bit. I kept thinking, "Am I really writing something this over-the-top dramatic?" But I figured I'll just go for it and hope for the best. Don't hate me for what I'm about to do to our boys! (runs and hides)**

**Of course, thanks to everyone reading, and special thanks to reviewers Bloodyrose23, Amity33, DChan21, and Red Mynx! DChan21, I particularly apologize to you—things will get much worse before they get better. To Red Mynx, I hope you got settled into your new home OK! I couldn't envision moving to a new country; I didn't even move out of state! Here's another chapter to make you feel at home. XD**

**As for Wallace, well… To be honest, I didn't start out with a clear idea of what I wanted his character to be like. I just sort of let him take over. To that end, I'll let the story speak for him. My only original goal was to have him be despicable—someone you really come to hate. As I delve into his character, though, I'm finding that he's not all bad. Again, you'll just have to read the story and see for yourself. His development is rather slow-paced, so you may not form a final opinion of him until much later. Some people may find him sympathetic, others won't. As this chapter proves, though, he'll do anything to display his authority. One thing I will say about him is that he's extremely fixated on what he thinks is "order". I guess you could say he's a bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to society. **

**And one more note… Yes, DBZ MPREG is weird! Really, REALLY weird. The "rules" just came about because one person wrote several fics with those premises and everyone else decided to follow suit because it made sense to them. One thing about MPREG is that you always have to have a reason for it. Supernatural, extraterrestrial, or scientific, there has to be something to explain why you're breaking the rules of nature. In a sci-fi series with extraterrestrial beings, it's always because of aliens. Once you narrow it down like that, the most popular scenario will usually become like a rule. Everybody does it just because they can't think of anything better. In a "normal" series like Tyrant, though, people get more creative and branch out into just about any explanation. But with DBZ, the most popular scenario became law. In fact, I've read several MPREG stories that don't even try to explain why or how. They just assume that you already know the drill. **

**Oh, and usually ChiChi and Bulma are either dead or complete assholes who dumped their husbands for one reason or another (usually another guy). Either way, they're always shoved out of the way and disregarded in true yaoi-fan fashion. In a series with no canon yaoi, the women who are really with the guys in the coupling are seen as the enemy. Who knows why? lol**

**Well, I've rambled quite enough. On with the story! **

Chapter 15: Life and Death

"HOW long will we have to wait?" Souichi groaned.

"I told you, a few hours," Kunihiro said, walking back into the living room and joining his brother on the couch. "The guild will send a healer first thing tomorrow morning; they're pretty busy right now. Seems that a few angels have turned up in bad shape."

"So it's true?" Isogai asked. "About the interrogations and all that?"

"You're from Demic, I'd assume you'd know," Kunihiro said with a cold look. "For the record, I don't take too kindly to demons in my house…" Tetsuhiro could almost hear the unspoken 'or humans', "but I'm tolerating you because of my little brother. Still, if you had anything to do with the beatings…"

"Relax, I didn't," Isogai said. "I believe in being kind to animals."

"Let's all just cool it, OK?" Tetsuhiro held a hand up to Kunihiro's chest as his brother spread his wings threateningly.

Souichi groaned again. "Why do you have to be here, again?" he asked Isogai.

"I'm just here to help," he said. "I can travel between the worlds, so if you need anything I'm your guy."

Souichi let the matter drop. He didn't really mind Isogai being there, if only as a buffer between him and Kunihiro. The angel had barely spoken two words to him since they'd arrived, but he had a feeling it would come to a head one way or another.

The hours stretched on, and Souichi felt more than a little disappointed. The image he'd had of a frantic time, scrambling around, waiting anxiously as the healer did whatever healers do and as Tetsuhiro endured it… none of that was happening. Tetsuhiro wasn't even panting or straining like the women he'd seen on TV—or like his mother had with his two siblings. Of course Tetsuhiro wasn't a woman, or even human, but Souichi felt he should have been doing something other than sitting on the couch calmly sipping tea.

"Aren't you in pain?" he finally asked as Tetsuhiro reached for one of the odd blue fruits on the coffee table.

"Huh? Um, not really. It's a little uncomfortable, but I can manage," the angel smiled. "Thank you for being concerned about me."

"I'm not concerned, I was just curious," Souichi huffed.

"I'm going to bed," Kunihiro announced suddenly, standing up and stretching his arms and wings. "Tetsuhiro, you and… Tatsumi… can use the guest room, like you did before. You," he turned to Isogai, "can sleep on the couch if you want."

"Thanks much," Isogai said.

"Wake me up if anything happens," Kunihiro told Tetsuhiro, and then he went upstairs. The trio of Earth-dwellers sat in silence, each lost in his own thoughts.

VVVVV

"WHAT?" Wallace's shout echoed through his chambers, startling the wisp and the bodach who now floated freely in the air before him. They recoiled from his burning gaze. "That can't be right! Are you sure?"

"_Yes, Sire," _the wisp said softly. _"The spirit inside is not completely angelic. Its energy matches the human's." _

Wallace stood by his bed for a moment, stalked around to the window, and looked out at his kingdom. The night sky was a lovely shade of purple. There was no moon, nor sun. The sky changed in brightness according to the long day/night cycle, corresponding to the rotation of stars around Demic and Celest. Wallace observed this indifferently, picking out the last tiny specks of light on the distant horizon.

"A human and an angel…" he muttered. It was sickening. It was bad enough that angels sometimes mated with demons, but for an angel to visit a human's bed? It was blasphemy. It was just as bad as bestiality.

He couldn't have it in his world.

"I think I'd like to meet them," he said, straightening up and striding to his wardrobe. "I can't allow this. I'm responsible for doing something about it."

"_Sire, they're in Celest," _the bodach said. _"You rule Demic. Are you really prepared to go to war with the angels?" _

"Nonsense," Wallace said, shrugging out of his silk pajamas. "Who's going to war? I'm just going to bring them here for a nice little chat, that's all. I just can't have this… _crime_ go unpunished. If I allow this to happen, then it would pave the way for my own subjects to do it."

"_Demons have sex with humans all the time," _the wisp said, only to leap back when Wallace spun around and glared at it.

"**But they don't reproduce with them**," Wallace said. "Demons can rape humans if they want, but they never have children with them. Those who have managed to get humans pregnant have lived to regret it, haven't they? It's disgusting! The humans are our playthings, and we weren't meant to breed with them!"

The king stormed past his servants and fastened the red cape around his shoulders. "As for angels," he continued, adjusting the crown on his head, "they shouldn't have any sexual contact with humans at all. An angel who gives into such temptation ought not to be an angel. Aren't they supposed to be shepherds of the human race? Are they not beholden to a 'higher' moral code than the rest of us?" He turned to his servants and smirked. "It's actually hilarious that one would lower themselves to that level. And it's all the more disgusting when you consider that no angel ever conceives 'by accident'. They have to make it happen."

The two spirits watched as their king threw open his chamber doors. "Go!" he said to them. "Bring them here. Now!"

Bodach and wisp sped off as one, sinking back onto the floor and becoming flat once again as they glided out of the room. Wallace stormed into the hallway, grabbed a demon servant, and sent her off for a snack. All that rage had made him hungry.

VVVVV

The Celestial night was curiously bright. Souichi looked out the huge windows to watch dark clouds float past, illuminated by the city lights below. The streets were lined with tall lanterns, delicate hanging balls of yellow light that swayed gently in the breeze. "Senpai, aren't you coming to bed?" Tetsuhiro asked.

Souichi looked at his kouhai, lying in the guest bed on his side with his arm around his abdomen. His wings were out, enjoying a nice long stretch. "How can you be so calm about all this?" the human asked.

"Are you nervous?"

"Hell yes, I'm nervous," Souichi tried to keep his voice down, though he didn't know why he was being so considerate of Kunihiro. "It feels like we should be, I dunno, doing something. Not sitting back and waiting."

"That's what it's like, I guess," Tetsuhiro said, scooting over a bit to make room as Souichi sank onto the bed. "Another one of those angel things, you could say."

"It was different when Tomoe and Kanako were born," Souichi muttered.

"Hm?"

"My mother was in quite a lot of pain," Souichi said. Tetsuhiro's heart skipped a beat; his senpai never spoke of his mother. "Of course, Dad was probably more nervous than she was. I remember him rushing around, trying to remember everything, and Mom just calmly directing him."

"She must have been very level-headed," Tetsuhiro said.

"She was. She always had to be, since Dad's so useless." Souichi remembered forcing himself to stay calm, like his mother had been. He'd been too young to really understand what was happening when Tomoe was born, but his mother's unwavering tranquility gave him peace of mind. Even when she was struggling to keep the pain from showing on her face, she was smoothing down his hair soothingly.

"I'm sure you do a good job of keeping up her duties," Tetsuhiro said gently. Souichi snorted.

"I don't know what she'd think of me now. I'm with a guy and about to have a kid."

"I'm sure she'd be proud of you no matter what, Senpai. I know she would! She was a kind person, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Do you think she'd have a problem with it?"

Souichi was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, "No. I don't think so. She wasn't like anyone else… she'd never feel prejudiced against anyone."

Tetsuhiro felt like hugging Souichi; his senpai seemed so down at the moment. However, he wasn't sure how he'd be received. Tentatively, he reached out and put an arm around Souichi's shoulder. He wasn't rebuffed, so he scooted closer.

Before he could fully hug the human, though, something cold wrapped around his neck. He cried out in alarm, echoing Souichi's shout. He looked and saw that his senpai was also bound. Something white was wrapping around him, and more white streaks were appearing through the walls and piling onto them. "Wisps?" Tetsuhiro gasped.

The room disappeared around them. There was a rush of colors, and then they were deposited onto cold, hard ground. Both of them were reeling from shock, but they found that they'd been released from the icy wisps. Tetsuhiro sat up, one hand over his abdomen and one arm draped protectively over Souichi's shoulders. The human looked around, confused, but Tetsuhiro recognized the energy in the air.

"What the hell's going on?" Souichi asked as the wisps swirled around them. The white shadows were soon joined by black ones, and Tetsuhiro immediately pulled Souichi closer to him.

"Bodachs, too," he said. "What do you want?"

"I sent them," a sonorous voice said, and the two looked behind them to see a tall demon striding towards the ring of spirits. His red cape billowed in the wake of his stride.

"Hey, I know you…" Souichi said, glaring. Wasn't this that guy he'd seen on the streets of Demic? The golden crown confirmed it. "What the hell do you want?"

"Oh, I just want a little chat," Wallace turned and sat on a cushioned seat, facing them with a predatory look in his eyes. The spirits stopped swirling around the two captives, and lined up on either side of them. "I hear congratulations are in order. When's it due?"

"What do you want?" Souichi repeated, standing up and stepping in front of Tetsuhiro.

"What do I want? I want to know what possessed an angel to have a human's child."

"How is that any of your business?" Tetsuhiro stood up, but Souichi held him back behind his arm. "Why did you bring us here?"

"Oh, how rude of me," Wallace drawled, leaning back in his chair. "I am Wallace, King of Demic. You are an angel who has conceived with a human. And I would very much love to know why I shouldn't kill you for your despicable behavior."

"K- kill me?" Tetsuhiro stammered. "Why-"

"How the fuck is it any of your concern?" Souichi cut in. "What, you think that's sick? How about someone who kidnaps people from their beds! How sick is that?"

"No, see, you've got it wrong," Wallace said calmly. "Your angel friend is the sick one. I'm just cruel and smug. You're simply an unwitting victim in all this, since you probably didn't ask to become father to a half-human mongrel."

Souichi saw red. He didn't know what this guy was going on about, but he wasn't going to stand there and let him insult them. Wallace looked on placidly as Souichi rushed at him, and a nearby bodach caught the human's fist just before it reached the demon's face. "Let me go!" Souichi demanded, but the bodach pulled him back and held his wrist still. Another one grabbed hold of Tetsuhiro as the angel went to help Souichi.

"You, angel, have disobeyed the laws of nature and procreated with a beast," Wallace said. His eyes held a dark malice that made Tetsuhiro tremble. "For this, I can't allow you to escape punishment. I can't kill you, as you know, but I have every right to punish you as I see fit."

He stood and withdrew a jeweled dagger from his belt. Souichi screamed in rage, struggling with all his might against the bodach that held his wrist, but he couldn't move. The thing was icy cold and light as air, but it felt like he was trapped in a steel vise. Three more bodachs and a wisp swarmed on him, holding his arms, legs, and throat in place. Wallace came closer to Tetsuhiro, who was struggling with as much difficulty as wisps and bodachs held him fast.

"For your crime against humanity and angel-kind, you will have your child taken from you," Wallace raised the dagger. Tetsuhiro saw it glint in the torchlight before it zipped downward, taking all feeling with it. His mouth opened, but he couldn't find the breath to scream. For a moment, panic numbed him. Then he felt the pain in his abdomen, tearing through him mercilessly. Blood spilled onto the ground, draining his life away in a torrent.

Souichi watched in wide-eyed horror as the knife sliced through flesh, unable to formulate his thoughts. His heart pounded in his throat. "Mori…" he managed to say before the grip on his throat tightened.

The wisps released their hold on Tetsuhiro. He dropped to the ground, face first, doubled over and gasping. Wallace stood before him, and in his arm was a tiny bloody bundle. Souichi's heart nearly stopped. That was their child. The little cry that rent the air was the first cry of his son.

The baby's wail seemed to spark something in Tetsuhiro. He jerked, his whole body twitching, and reached for Wallace's leg. White fingers gripped the king's ankle as Wallace looked down on him piteously. "Too bad," he said. "Were he a purebred angel, he'd probably look much better. His wings are too small."

"Gh… Gha…" Tetsuhiro choked as blood welled up his throat. His grasp on Wallace's leg tightened, and he tried to push himself up. "Gi- give… ba…"

"Get off of me," Wallace kicked him in the face, sending the angel slumping on the ground again. "Take him back to his home," he told the wisps, and Souichi watched in numbed silence as Tetsuhiro was lifted up and disappeared in a swirl of smoke.

When he turned to Souichi, Wallace wore a smile that sickened the human. His whole body trembled as the demon came to stand in front of him. Souichi's eyes lowered to the infant in Wallace's arms, and his mind froze up. This was his child. This was supposed to be a happy event, but he couldn't collect himself enough to notice what the baby even looked like. Everything was blurry to him, he was so angry.

"Unfortunately, you will have to die," Wallace told him. "Take a good look at your son." The baby was now snuggled in Wallace's cape, still covered in blood. "Don't worry; I won't punish him for his parents' crimes. No, he'll make a fine demon once he's old enough to make the change." The king cradled the child and smirked at Souichi. "Perhaps I'll make him my heir. Now you can die knowing that your son will have a good life, right?"

That was the last thing Souichi heard before the dagger plunged into his throat.

**TBC**

**Erm, sorry about that… **


End file.
